Titans South: The Reforms
by Draco Blade
Summary: Red X has assembled a new team of Titans. By finding other people like him, he has grouped together a team made entirely of excriminals. Members: Red X, Terra, Gizmo, Jinx, and Mammoth. Villain: Chang! Pairing: RedX&Terra.
1. The Gathering

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything in this story. Except the idea. Which is probably also owned by someone else anyway, so yay for me.

**A/N: **Basically, I got this idea after watching the episode "X" the fourteenth time. I began thinking about all of the villains in the Teen Titans that switched sides for whatever reason. Then I started thinking 'What if they all grouped together?' Voila!

Oh yeah, this story takes place after "The End Part 3." Just so you know.

Read, enjoy, and review. In that order:

**Chapter One: The Gathering**

My name is Red X

Well, not really. That's my alias. My real name is entirely different. But that doesn't matter right now. Not to you, not to me. Not to any one.

I was a thief, a criminal. I was no hero, but I was no villain. I was stuck in the middle. Good and bad, justice and evil, they didn't matter to me. I was too busy watching out for number one. Me

But I changed. I faced the Titans and saw just what the life of a hero was like. It wasn't easy, but it was right. I helped the one named Robin save his friends. And then I ran. Defeated, I ran like a coward. But I was a coward with style.

I fled to the sewers, under the city. To this day, I still don't know how the Titans never found me. Maybe I was too good. Maybe they didn't care. It never really mattered. But it gave me time to think.

I thought of my place, and their place, and even Chang's place. They were heroes, selfless teenagers helping people. Chang was a villain, a devious old man who wanted nothing more but to harm the very people the Titans helped. And what was I?

I was neither. And I was both. I helped them, but I ran. I performed crimes, but I suffered for my mistakes. I didn't want to help people, but I didn't want to hurt them either. I was nothing

I decided to change that. I returned to Jump City and I searched for others like me. People that weren't sure which side they were one. People that had done terrible things, and wanted to make up for it. People that wanted to redeem themselves.

I was looking for reforms. People that had reformed their villainous ways to try and help people. I didn't have to look far. The first week I found three very willing people. They called themselves the HIVE. I had heard of them before. Jinx, Gizmo, and Mammoth. The HIVE's top graduates.

They wanted the same thing as me. They wanted a second chance. A second chance at life, at redemption. They no longer wished to be villains. They wanted to be heroes. So they joined me. They abandoned their other two teammates who did not share in their dream. Seymour (I think that's his name) and Private Hive were arrested the next day. We made sure of that.

And we continued on our way. We looked for others like us. For a while it seemed we four were ruly alone. We were the only ones with dark pasts. We were the only ones that wanted to change that. We stayed away from Titan's Tower at all costs. No matter how much we explained, I was sure they would shoot first and ask questions later.

But we did find one other. It was Jinx's idea originally. She had heard of the girl we found. She had apparently ben a Titan for a short time, but she betrayed them to Slade. Even I didn't like Slade. According to Jinx, she had turned on Slade at the last minute and saved the town. But she turned to stone in the process

I thought about it. A girl who had betrayed an entire town, and then sacrificed herself to save her friends. That sounded perfect to me. The perfect reform. So we searched her out. And it was actually rather easy.

The girl was located on the abandoned section of time. The area had suffered irreparable damage from Slade, and had long since been abandoned. But in the center of it was a vast cavern. And that's where we found her.

_Terra _

_A Teen Titan_

_A True Friend_

Perfect. We had found her. Terra. The only problem was waking her up. But once again, we found a way.

Gizmo was sure he could do it. He had the technology, he just didn't have a energy source powerful enough to charge it. That's where I came in. I had enough Zinothium on my person to power my suit for twenty years. I figured I could spare a year or two.

I gave the Zinothium to Gizmo, who was excited to accept it. Using the Zinothium, he power up his machine. He connected it to the girl. And then came the moment of truth. She was brought back. Together the five of us became a new set of Teen Titans. We became the Titans South, codename: The Reforms. I became their leader.

My name is Red X

This is my story.

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"Where am I?" The girl couldn't see where she was. Her eyes were unfocused, and whatever light was in the are, it was blinding her. As she blocked her eyes from the bright light, a shadow appeared in front of her.

It was a figure with a dark black costume. His muscles bulged beneath the skin-tight suit, and a dark cape flowed behind him. Red markings covered the costume.

"Robin?" she asked, holding her hands above her face. The mysterious figure bent down and offered a hand. The girl accepted and took his hand. The figure slowly pulled her up, keeping her close to him in case she felt weak. Which she did.

"Close," he responded, a slight chuckle in his voice. "My name is Red X. Are you Terra?"

"Yes...I am," Terra responded. "What...happened?"

"You succeeded," he said. "The volcano you triggered did not erupt. You saved this city, as well as your friends. You are a hero."

"And Slade?" she asked.

"He is still alive, for that I am sorry," Red X responded. "I won't get into details. We'll save that for later."

"Can I see them?" Terra asked. Her eyes finally focused. She saw the figure clearly know. He had a skull mask over his head, and a large X over his chest.

"Yes, but not now," Red X told her. "You have just woken up from a coma. When you stopped the volcano, you also turned to stone. We brought you back." As he finished his sentence, Terra finally noticed the other three people standing around the pair.

One was a female in a black dress and leggings. She had pink and black hair that stood up on the sides. The other two were male. The tallest one was covered in thick yellow hair and was very muscular. The last was only about three feet tall, and bald.

"How long?" she asked, looking up at Red X. "How long was in the coma?"

"It's been...six months," Red X said, hesitantly. "I'm sorry."

"Six months!" Terra exclaimed. "No...no, no, no. What happened while I was gone? Are the Titans still friends?"

"Yes, it's all right," Red X reassured her. "If you want, we will take you to them now."

"Yes...I want to go back," Terra said, tears filling her eyes. "I hope they don't hate me..."

"They don't. Trust me," Red X replied. "Can you still control the earth, or do you want a lift?"

Terra shrugged. She lifted her hands and they glowed yellow. Slowly, a nearby boulder lifted into the air and then fell to the ground with a thud. Terra panted. "I can still do it...but I'm too tired right now."

"Then I can take us there," Red X said.

"Hey, Terra. Welcome back," the other girl said, coming up to her.

"Um...do I know you?" Terra asked. The girl shook her head.

"No, we were never formally introduce. My name is Jinx. Over there is Gizmo, and that there is Mammoth."

"Hey," Terra said, raising her hand. Mammoth smiled in return, but Gizmo didn't grunt in acknowledgment. Terra noticed that Red X still had his arm around her waist.

"Um, you can let go now," she said. Red X looked up. She saw his eyes go wide, and he released her immediately.

"Sorry," he replied. "I wasn't sure if you could walk properly."

"Thanks, but I'll be okay," Terra told him.

"Good, then get in," Red X said, referring to a car that sat at the top of the cavern. Climbing out, the five of them all walked over to the car. The car was solid black, but had red markings all along it, just like Red X's costume.

As Red X got in the driver's seat, Terra got shotgun, and the other three at in the back. The drive to Titans' Tower took about half an hour, and it gave Terra time to look around. So much had changed in Jump City. There were more people, for one thing, and there were many new stores and buildings. As they approached the edge of the city, Red X simply drove right into the water, pushing a single button. As the four other people in the car screamed, the car transformed into a hovercraft that simply floated across the water.

"Sorry about that," he told them. "I stole this car from Prof. Chang. I probably should have told you I was going to do that."

"Ya think so, skull-face?" Gizmo snapped from the back seat. X ignored him.

As they finally reached the Tower, Red X parked the hovercraft along the shore and turned to Terra. "Terra, we need to talk before we see your friends."

"What about?" she asked.

"A lot of things," Red X sighed. "The first is about you. You've been gone for six months, so they will happy to see you. They have missed you while you were away, don't worry. However, the team had...changed some."

"What do you mean?"

"Well..." Red X shifted uncomfortably. "Jinx, maybe you should tell her?"

"Good idea," Jinx replied. "Remember BeastBoy?" she asked, turning to Terra. Terra nodded. "Well, you used to date him, right?"

"Kinda," Terra replied, blushing. "What about him? Is he okay!"

"Oh, he's fine," Jinx said. "In fact, he's better than fine. He...has another girlfriend."

"Who?" Terra asked. She could feel tears starting to come to her eyes. "Who is it?"

"Raven," Jinx said. She was however, surprised at the response.

"Oh, that's okay," Terra said. All four of them turned to stare at her. She noticed. "What? I thought the two were dating when I joined! It's about time they were actually going out!"

"You can say that again," Mammoth grumbled. "It was so obvious!"

"Anyway..." Red X interrupted them before they could go off. "There are some...other things. The fact is the other four of us aren't welcome in the tower. We are...criminals."

"You're criminals?" Terra asked, her eyes glowing yellow. All four of them immediately held up their hands in self-defense.

"EX-criminals! We're reformed," Jinx explained. "Why else would we have brought you here!"

"I guess you're right," Terr said, her eyes returning to normal. "So, you don't think the others will let you in?"

"Actually, we're kinda hoping they don't arrest us on the spot," Mammoth said.

"What we're saying is, it will probably be better if we all go in with you," Red X said. Terra nodded.

"Okay, follow me," she said, getting out of the car. The five of them walked up to the Tower. Terra stood in front of them and rang the doorbell. Immediately, a huge screen appeared on the side of the door. It was blank until someone finally answered it. Terra saw that it was Cyborg, but his back was turned to the camera, and he looked like he picking something up.

"Hiya! Just hold on, I got the money for the pizza right here."

"Cool! Can I have a slice?" Terra said. At once, she saw Cyborg straighten and look around. His human eye grew wide and a smile overtook his face.

"Terra!" he cried, running to the door. The door opened, and the robot ran out to greet him. As he ran out, he finally saw the other four. Terra was standing in the center of the group, smiling widely. And around her stood Mammoth, Gizmo, and Jinx, all ready to fight. Red X stood completely still.

"Get your hands off her!" Cyborg cried as his arm transformed to his sonic cannon.

"Whoa there, metal head!" Red X cried, throwing an X. The red X splattered across the cannon, causing it to jam. "We mean you n harm."

"Cyborg, I swear I'll explain everything inside, okay?" Terra said. Cyborg looked around at the group. Gizmo was sneering, Mammoth was smiling weakly, and Jinx looked lovesick.

"Okay," he said, defeated. "But if this is a trick, I swear I'm throwing all of you out."

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One hour later, all five Titans had gathered in the common room and heard the three stories. What Red X had done, why the HIVE had changed sides, and why Terra had returned. Robin, likewise informed Terra what had happened while they were away. After everyone told their story, they broke off. Cyborg and Jinx left the room to 'talk', Robin conversed with Red X, and Star started getting to know Gizmo and Mammoth. This left Terra to go talk to Raven and BeastBoy.

As the blonde headed towards the couple, they both shifted uncomfortably. BB was the first to speak.

"Terra, there's something I have to tell you..."

"I already know BeastBoy, and it's cool."

"You what?" BB was dumbstruck. "You know that I'm dating Raven?"

"Yeah, and it's cool," Terra told him, smiling. "I always thought you two were a cute couple!"

"Thanks for understanding," Raven said, lightening up a little. The three continued to chat happily while Robin and Red X faced each other.

"So why exactly are you doing this?" Robin asked his doppelganger. "Why the sudden...change?"

"Your words hit a nerve," Red X replied. "I thought about what had happened, and it changed me. I began looking for others like me. And I found these four."

"So, what do you plan on doing?" Robin asked.

"Actually..." Red X replied. "I've been thinking about leading the team. I've been thinking about becoming the Titans South."

"The Titans South?" Robin asked. "Why south?"

"I heard of a town down in the south that could use some help. I'm from there originally," Red X explained. "The place has its set of villains as well. I want to take these four down there and teach them how to be heroes."

"How can they learn anything from you?" Robin asked, his familiar warrior face returning. "You're no hero."

"I'll learn as they learn," Red X told him. "All five of us want a second chance. And I want to give it them."

"Fine," Robin said. "I give you permission to become Titans. But I'm keeping my eye out for you, just in case."

"Understood," Red X said. "I wouldn't expect anything less than that. It must take a lot of gut to help us reforms, huh?"

"You have no idea..." Robin trailed off, finally giving X a genuine smile. He handed him five communicators and taught him how to use them.

"Thank you," Red X replied, accepting the communicators. "This means a lot to me."

"No problem," Robin told him. "Do the others know about your plan?"

"Well, everyone but Terra," Red X said. "We wanted to bring her here before mentioning it."

"I'm glad you did," Robin agreed. "It's good for her to see her friends before you ask. She needs this. Here, you five can stay here tonight."

"Are you sure you trust us that much?" Red X asked him.

"Not really," Robin admitted, shrugging. "But I'm fairly sure that if you're lying, we can take all four of you down."

"True," Red X agreed. "Alright, I accept your offer. We will stay here tonight."

"It's a deal."

**A/N: **Sorry to cut it off here, but my fingers hurt. Next time, Red X tells Terra his plan. Will she accept? What will the other Titans think? And why does Terra blush everytime Red X is nearby? All that and more in Chapter Two: The Proposition!

Review Please. I won't update if you don't review!

PEACE OUT!


	2. The Proposition

1**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Teen Titans. Probably never will either. I do, however, own an over-active imagination. Something the producers might want...(hint, hint)

**A/N: **First of all, thanks for all of your reviews. I know I only got like 5, but that's actually okay. I realize that since I'm using characters you guys aren't used to, this story probably won't be very popular right away. Oh well.

And to answer a reviewers question: yes, I am going with the Red X and Terra pairing. They actually have more in common that Terra and BB, if you think about it! Besides, I worship BB/Rae, so I have to pair Terra with somebody! And why not someone a lot like her? Heh heh...

Read, enjoy, and review. Again:

**Chapter 2: The Proposition**

Terra woke as she heard the rain gently hitting her window. Looking around, she realized she was in her room in Titans Tower. She grinned as she remembered how she found it. Exactly as she left it, untouched. The others had loved her so much, that they had preserved her room, in case she would return. She heard a loud snore come from the next room over.

Mammoth and Gizmo had been given the seventh room in the Tower. It was pretty empty, but it did have two large guest beds. The two had settled in quite nicely. Jinx had Raven's old room. Terra had learned that in her absence, BB and Raven had not only gotten together, but were sharing a bed. Yeah. They were THAT serious. So, Jinx had gotten Raven's old room, at least for the night.

Terra thought about BeastBoy as she watched the rain fall outside her window. She was actually glad for him, really glad for him. She always thought she would feel heartbreak, or depression, if BB got another girlfriend, but she was actually filled with happiness at the thought now.

She knew that Raven was perfect for BB. When she had first joined, she had actually thought the pair already were dating! She smiled as she thought about that. The thought of her two best friends falling in love filled her with joy. And for that she was glad.

She sighed as she looked down at herself. She had changed out of Slade's suit into her old Titan's uniform. Since the suit had been integrated into her skin, Raven was the one that had to take it off. She used her powers to peel the suit off layer by layer, and still used her powers to heal Terra's body at the same time. Terra was good as new, but Raven had fainted in BB's arms shortly afterwards. Apparently, she had used up quite a lot of power.

Another thing Terra was grateful for. Her friends still loved her after all she had done. After she had betrayed them, manipulated them, and defeated them, they still welcomed her back with open arms. Still, Terra was worried about her friends.

In her absence, they had fought though some big challenges. She had missed Cyborg's large ordeal with Brother Blood, and missed him quitting the team. But he had come back, and Blood was now rotting in Steel City Penitentiary. She had also missed the formation of the Titans East, also based in Steel City. She very much wanted to meet her new teammates.

And even more, she had apparently missed the end of the world. Unfortunately, she had also missed Slade's return from the dead. The villain was back now, and still at large. After hearing Raven's story of Trigon's defeat, Terra had been very worried for her friends. They had been through so much, and they had all changed.

Robin was no longer as obsessive, nor as serious. He was still the confident leader, but he had more fun now, and he showed it. Starfire had matured greatly, no longer as naive as she had been only six months previous. She was still the same great girl, but she was far more mature now.

Even BB had changed. He had dropped his act slightly, no longer acting like the mindless joker. He still joked around, and had the most fun, but he now showed his pain, and shared it with the rest. And the rest were more than happy to help. Raven had changed the most, Terra was sure. She wasn't as withdrawn or quiet as before. She could now express much more emotion (with BB's help) and she joined in with the others in their fun times.

Cyborg had also changed. The mechanical man had actually become just that. A man. He had matured the most, and was now like the big brother of the team. He no longer argued over orders, nor did he start fights. He ended them. It was as if he had finally proved himself TO himself.

Terra sighed. Her old friends were gone, replaced by these mature ones. But she didn't have a problem with that. She just needed time to get used to it. Especially since not only had the Titans grown up, but they had grown together.

Terra already mentioned that BB and Rae were an item, but it turns out Robin and Star were, too. About freakin' time, in Terra's mind. They had so been hitting on each other the entire time she had been there. Apparently, they had confessed their love about the same time BB and Raven did. Now they were also together, but they still slept in different rooms.

Even Cyborg had gotten a girlfriend. He had dated the Titan Bumblebee, remembered Terra. She had never met Bumblebee, but she wanted to. Cy and Bee had dated for about a month, but had then broke up. But it had been peaceful. Both of them had mutually agreed that they just weren't right for each other. To this day, the two were the best of friends, and contacted each other constantly.

Terra looked up as she heard someone walk by her door. Whoever it was stopped and paused, looking at her door. Then they moved on. Wanting to talk to someone, anyone, Terra got up and ran over to the door. She opened it just in time to see Red X turning the corner.

"Hey! X!" she called. The masked figure stopped an turned to look at her. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I don't sleep," Red X told her, turning to face her. "Besides, I could be asking you the same question."

"Rain woke me up," Terra informed him. "I was just up late thinking when you walked by."

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you then," Red X said, his mask still not letting any emotion through.

"It's okay," Terra told him. "I just needed to talk to someone. Would you mind some company?"

"Uh...sure," Red X replied. At once, he continued walking to wherever he was walking, and Terra followed him, right next to him.

"So...where we going?" Terra asked.

"No where particular," Red X said. "I don't sleep much anymore, so I just thought I'd tour the Tower myself, hear the usual sounds of the night. It's oddly comforting."

"Oh," Terra said. She was still struggling to come up with conversation around Red X. The mysterious young man never talked much, and he was hard to talk TO! "I uh, just remembered...that I never thanked you for what you did."

"What do you mean?"

"I never thanked you for freeing me, for bringing me back," Terra explained.

"It was nothing," Red X told her.

"Well, it was something to me!" Terra laughed. Red X didn't return the laugh. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I don't laugh much either," Red X said. Suddenly, X stopped and held out a hand, grabbing onto Terra.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking alarmed.

"Nothing's wrong..." Red X trailed off. Terra couldn't tell because of the mask, but she was sure that Red X was...blushing? "I just think we should skip over this particular part of the hallway."

"Why? This is Raven and BB's room," Terra said, looking over at the door.

"Exactly," Red X pointed out. "The last time I walked by here., they were...engaged in certain activities, if you know what I mean."

"I don't," Terra said, completely honest. She could feel Red X tense up again.

"They were...uh, sharing things?" he tried. Terra shrugged. She still didn't understand. "Um...vertical dancing? Doing the do? Marital relations? Lemon?"

Terra looked completely blank. "I honestly have no idea what you just said."

Red X sighed. "They...were...having...sex!" he said slowly, to make sure she understood.

Terra's face went pale. "Oh," she said. "Okay, we can skip this part."

"I thought so," Red X said, grabbing her arm and tugging her away. "I'm sorry you had to hear that. I know you used to be...close with BeastBoy."

"It's okay," Terra admitted. "I'm actually really happy for them. It was just...shocking at first."

"Understandable," Red X said. He looked over at her. "You look much better now. You look...better without Slade's suit on."

Terra felt herself blush. "Thanks..." she replied. Suddenly, something struck her. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Only if you don't mind my not answering it."

"Fair enough," Terra grinned. "Why do you wear a mask?"

Red X stopped. He looked like someone had hit him with a brick. "I wear a mask...because I want my identity to remain a secret."

"Why?"

"Because there are people that would use my identity against me," Red X told her. "You remember how the Titans told you I used to be a criminal?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, it's true. This suit is stolen," Red X told her. "It actually belongs to Robin..."

He then set off, telling her the whole story. Terra just nodded in agreement during the pauses. She was a very good listener, and he told her everything from when he stole the suit onwards. And Terra returned the favor by informing him of her past. And of what she had done. When both were finished talking, they felt much better.

"That actually helped a lot..." Terra told X. "I feel like it was pressing against my chest, unless I told someone. And I'm actually glad it was you."

"Thanks for listening to MY story," Red X said, smiling slightly (not like Terra could see it...)

"No problem," Terra said. "But...I was just wondering...could you take off your mask?"

"Why?"

"I just want to see what you look like," Terra shrugged, grinning. "You've seen my face!"

"I..." Red X was at a loss. He had kept his mask on for so long, it just felt...wrong showing his face to someone else. It didn't feel right. "I'm sorry..." he sighed, "But I just can't do that..."

"It's okay, really!" Terra told him. "I'm sure you have a good reason."

"Thanks for understanding," Red X told her.

"No problem," Terra replied. "Oh! This is my room again. I guess I'll go back to sleep now."

"Wait," Red X commanded. Terra looked surprised, but did as she was told. "Remember the Titans South I mentioned earlier? The one I'm leading?"

"Yeah..." Terra had a sneaking suspicion she knew where this was going.

"Well, the reason I originally freed you was...so you could join," Red X explained. He now felt terrible saying this. He sounded selfish, and he knew it. "However, if you want to remain here it's fine with me. I never realized just how much you mean to them, and I wouldn't want to break up your friendship."

"Red X..." Terra muttered. "Well, you're right. I would love to stay here with my friends...but I want to go with you too."

"You do?" Red X asked. "But...I thought..."

"Well, you were right," Terra pointed out. "They do still love me, and I love them, too. But I can't remain here. There are too many reminders here of what I did. If I were to stay here, then something might happen again. Which is why I want to go with you and the rest. I want a second chance. But I won't get one here, no matter how much I, or they, may want it."

"Very well," Red X told her. "Thank you for accepting my offer. I don't think I could have done it without you."

"Yeah, with those three?" Terra laughed. "Besides, you need another girl on the team!"

"That's true," Red X said slyly. "You can never have too many girls on a team."

"I'll ignore the innuendo there," Terra grinned. "Well...I'm going to go back to bed now. We leave tomorrow night, right?"

"Correct," Red X informed her.

"Oh, and X?" Terra said. The masked man turned to face her. Terra walked up and gently kissed him on the cheek. She could feel her own face burning as she backed into her room. "Thanks."

Her door slammed shut as Terra jumped back onto her bed. She had a huge grin plastered on her face.

Outside her door, the ex-thief slowly moved his hand up to touch his cheek. Smiling under his mask, he slowly walked down the hallway and turned the corner.

**A/N: **Well, hoped you like it. Third chapter will be up whenever I feel like it. The more you review though, the quicker I'll update. HINT, HINT!

Oh, just so you know Red X is eighteen in this story, and Terra is sixteen. Probably should have told you that before...oh, well.

REVIEW AND I WILL UPDATE! ONLY THEN!

PEACE OUT!


	3. Road Trip

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Teen Titans. But someday...someday...

**A/N: **Hiyaཀ Didn't take me long to update, did it? Well, it seems everyone liked the last chapter, but it appears there were some complaints about BB and Rae's...activities...in the last chapter. I just want it to be known that I do everything for a reason, even if you guys didn't fully understand the reason. I wouldn't have put something like that in there, unless I had a good reason for it.

And there were actually two reasons for that. One: I wanted to show just how much the Titans had matured in Terra's absence. They are now so mature, they feel they can do THAT, and be ready for the consequences. This just shows how much maturity Terra has missed in the six months of her absence. And Two: I wanted to show just how far Terra accepted the fact that BB wasn't with her anymore. It's hard enough finding that your ex is already dating someone else. However, it takes an incredible amount of self-control to know that your ex is actually doing THAT with someone else. This just shows how far Terra will accept it, and how happy she is for BB and Rae.

And as for the question on Terra kissing X: yes, she technically kissed his mask, but it was in the cheek area. Yeesh...

Now, readཀ

**Chapter Three: Road Trip**

The five Reforms were all sitting in the newly dubbed X-Car. After a long and less than tearful good bye, the five had left to travel to their new base. According to Red X, the town was called Cactus City, and it was located near the southern part of the United States. Somewhere around Texas or Arizona.

He had explained the city in full detail. It was a thriving metropolis, much like Jump City, but it was located in the desert. The center of the city was very much urban, but the outskirts lead into the surrounding desert. And it was filled with crime.

Every criminal that wanted to get away from the big-city cops headed down to Cactus City. It was like a desert version of Gotham. And Red X had been here before. Though he didn't tell them, he used to live here.

Right now, the five of them were all sitting in their respective seats. The X-Car had transformed into a type of mini-jet. That was the only thing Red X liked about Prof. Chang: his ingenuity. When he had first found Gizmo, the hyper teen had practically drooled all over the car. He had never seen a more technologically advanced car, save maybe for the T-Car.

Red X was in the driver's seat, adjusting the coordinates. The car was now floating about a hundred feet off the ground, and X was going to put it on auto-pilot soon. He just wanted to make sure it had the perfect coordinates.

Meanwhile, Terra was trying to get to know her new friends.

"So, who all are you guys?" Terra asked them, looking back from her place in the passenger seat. All three of them were sitting comfortably in the back. "I remember your names, but I don't know what powers you guys have. Or what you guys are like!"

"I'll start," Jinx said, smiling. "As you know, my name's Jinx. I have the power to create bad luck. Like so..."

Concentrating, Jinx pointed a glowing pink hand at Gizmo, who was busy drinking a soda. A pink flash burst from her hand, and the soda exploded, spilling all over the midget.

"HEY!"

"See what I mean?" Jinx said, holding in laughter. Terra giggled. "I'm sixteen, too."

"Cool, so am I!" Terra exclaimed. She turned to Mammoth next. "What about you, big guy?"

"M' name's Mammoth, little lady," Mammoth replied, grinning. "In case you didn't figure it out by now, my power is super-strength."

"And super stench..." Gizmo muttered.

"I'm 17," Mammoth finished glowering at Gizmo.

"And I'm Gizmo," the mecha-midget started before Terra could ask him. "And unlike the rest of this pig-sniffers, I'm actually a genius! I can make a weapon outta any gizmo or gadget. Hehe..."

"Are you even a teenager?" Terra asked, arching an eyebrow. Jinx and Mammoth laughed.

"I am too! I'm thirteen, miss Know-it-all!" Gizmo cried, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Okay..." she said, turning to face X. "And what about you, tall, dark, and mysterious?"

"I'm eighteen. What you see is what you get," Red X replied, finally typing in the final coordinates. "There. It's set on auto-pilot now." X turned so all four of them could see him. "It'll be a good six hour drive to Cactus City, even at this speed. I recommend you all get some sleep. It's already ten o'clock."

"Very well," Jinx replied. "Good night!" she said, leaning over so she was leaning on the car door. Her legs dangled loosely over the edge of her very comfortable seat.

Gizmo simply unbuckled and lied down. Being the small fry he is, he had plenty of space to sleep. Mammoth just laid his head back, and placed his arms on his lap. All three of the former FIVE students were asleep within minutes.

Red X, however, just kept his gaze fixed on the horizon. He stared ahead, not blinking through the mask. His arms rested on the wheel, though he didn't need to use it anymore. The auto-pilot was fully operational.

Terra tried to sleep, but found she couldn't. She just couldn't get comfortable. Her chair was too small too fit all of her, and she was forced to cuddle up. She just couldn't get comfortable. But she was very tired.

"Mmm..." she groaned, trying to find a comfortable place to rest her head. Her chair didn't lean back, thanks to Chang's lousy budget. She was very uncomfortable. Opening her eyes, she looked over at X.

The masked vigilante was still staring forward, ignoring the loud snoring coming from behind him.

"Hey, X?" Terra asked. Red X turned to face her, acknowledging her presence. "Can I use your leg as a pillow?"

Red X was taken back. This girl was so...different compared to the ones he had known in the past. Different...but not bad. Not bad at all.

"Uh...sure," he replied, blinking. Terra didn't respond, but she scooted over so she could rest her head on his lap. She closed her eyes and tried to get comfortable now that her body was properly stretched out.

"Thanks," she replied as she closed her eyes. She fell asleep within minutes, now that she felt the comfortable seating beneath er, and the warm lap her head was resting on. The front seat was much like one in a pick-up truck. It was the same as the back, without a gap between the driver's seat and passenger's seat. Chang didn't believe in modern conveniences.

As Terra began to breathe gently, Red X looked down at her. She looked so...peaceful. Her eyes were closed and a smile was stuck on her face. Suddenly, she shivered. Red X realized it must have been cold for her here.

She was wearing less than anyone else. Jinx and Gizmo both wore costumes that covered all their bare skin, save their face. Mammoth's only bare skin was his arms and they were covered in warm fur. And even if Red X hadn't been wearing his warm suit that didn't let any skin show at all, he still had a cape. And he had twenty years of Zinothium in his belt, keeping him even warmer.

But Terra was wearing the least. She had on a shirt that exposed her stomach entirely. Her shorts were very...short...and left most of her legs exposed. She showed the most skin here.

Trying not to think about that the wrong way, Red X took off his cape. He laid the black cape over the girl laying on top of him. Terra instinctively grabbed the cape and pulled it over her. Red X smiled. Then he blushed as Terra wrapped her arms around him. The blonde girl was hugging him around he waist without realizing it.

As Red X blushed a deep crimson, he tried to pry her arms off of him. He failed however, as Terra just held on tighter. She nuzzled his leg and curled up next to him. Right now, Red X was very thankful his mask was hiding his face. Because right now, Red X couldn't get any redder.

Red X looked back to the back seat to see how the rest were holding up. Gizmo was snoring loudly, his nose blowing what appeared to be a large snot-bubble. Mammoth was the most peaceful, just leaning back and sleeping soundly. Jinx was curled up, and mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like "Oh, Cyborg..."

Red X smiled. They were fine. According to his clock, they still had another five hours and twenty-two minutes until they reached Cactus City. They had more than enough fuel, and there wasn't anything in heir way. It looked like it would be alright if he merely rested his eyes, right?

He leaned backs slightly and tried to force himself to sleep. But, as usual, sleep didn't come to him. It never did anymore. He hadn't had a proper night of sleep since he was sixteen years old. He hadn't slept for two years now.

He thought back to his past in Cactus City. It wasn't a good one. He had been the fourth child of a foster family. All of the other three had been orphans as well. His parents had been murdered right in front of his eyes when he was only six. Since that day, he had been training. Karate, Tai Kwon Do, every form of martial arts imaginable. For ten years he had trained to defend himself against even the strongest opponent. His foster family was highly-supportive of him, and helped him train every day.

Until that one fateful night. A criminal named Meltdown had been robbing the bank. The villain had run of and tried to hide in a neighboring apartment. Theirs. X had heard the criminal break in, but he had been too scared to do anything. He had watched as the criminal had killed every member of his family. Red X had been too scared to even try to stop him.

He had hid under his bed, and Meltdown had eventually moved on. When he found his family dead, he had run away. Run away to Jump City, away from his dreadful past. And he had found the suit. The suit that could enhance his already advanced strength. With the suit, he became invincible.

Everything after that was history. He had sworn do finally do good, and not abandon anyone, like he had abandoned his family all those years ago. He hadn't slept since that night.

And yet, he could feel himself finally getting tired. As the girl in his lap snuggled with him, Red X could finally feel sleep coming back to him. Wrapping his arm around the beautiful girl, he leaned his head back. For the first time in two long years, he finally welcomed sleep. And Red X slept.

**A/N: **Well, I hope you liked it. The villain named Meltdown is of my own creation, and he just might make an appearance later in the story. He won't be the main villain, however. I will introduce the main villain of the story in the next chapter. Remember to review, and I can't wait to hear from you! There will be more Red X/ Terra fluff in the next chapter, as well as the appearance of the main villain. A cookie to the person that can guess the main villain! Hint: He appeared in the show.

PEACE OUT!


	4. Cactus City

1**Disclaimer: **I don't own Teen Titans. I only own this plot, the fiction itself, and the random ideas I squeeze in here. I also own the X-Car, and thirty years worth of Zinothium. But I can't get them to work...

**A/N: **I have absolutely nothing better to do. So I'm gonna update. To answer a few questions I received: Yes, this will be a Red X/Terra fic. Duh.

Thanks for the reviews. Review again.

**Chapter 4: Cactus City**

_DEET DEET DEET!_

Red X woke up immediately as he heard the X-Car's alarm go off. Looking at the status screen in front of him, he found that they were mere miles away from Cactus City and approaching fast. The alarm had been set to wake him in the one-in-a-billion chance he actually fell asleep. It turned out to be a good idea.

He turned as he heard groaning behind him. Looking back, he saw Mammoth and Gizmo stirring. Jinx had apparently already been awake, as she was eying him and smiling.

"What?" he asked, referring to Jinx's stare. She grinned and pointed at Terra. Red X looked down to see the geomancer still cuddling next to him. Red X could feel himself blush. Thank gd for the mask...

"Terra..." he said, shaking the girl slightly. She continued to sleep soundly. "Terra, it's time to get up!" he repeated, louder this time.

"Five more minutes..." Terra mumbled, hugging him tighter. Jinx began to laugh from the back seat.

"Terra, please wake up!" Red X shouted, shaking the girl harder.

"Wha..." Terra yawned. The girl finally opened her eyes and looked up at the masked man she was currently hugging. "Oh, sorry..." She could feel herself begin to blush as she released him. "Are we there yet?" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Just about," Red X told her. He grabbed the wheel and pushed a few buttons. The X-Car transformed back into a car and landed on the street. The city could now be seen clearly.

Tall skyscrapers and large buildings rose up out of the barren desert around them. All around was sand and rock, but in the center of the desert lay the grand city of Cactus City. The houses and business buildings were all bright and shined in the moon's light. It was only about four, so dawn wasn't quite here yet.

"Wow..." Terra said. "Where's the Tower?"

"We...won't be living in a tower..." Red X said, hesitant. He shifted over a little, uncomfortable.

The others looked at him, but offered no other statement. They looked around the city as Red X drove the car deeper into the urban masterpiece. Everywhere tall buildings rose up and towered towards the heavens. Even small shops seemed tall here. The streets were mostly empty, because it was only four in the morning. Traffic wouldn't start for another two hours.

"Almost there," Red X told them, turning the car.

"How do you know this place so well?" Mammoth asked.

"I used to live here."

As the other four looked at each other, he took yet another turn. Finally, after another five minutes, he stopped the car.

"Here we are," he said. In front of him was a what looked like a one-story warehouse in the middle of no where. The rest of the neighborhood was suburban, but all the houses had been abandoned or condemned. The five got out of the car and walked towards the building in front of them.

"Desert Rat Middle School?" Gizmo read off the sign. "Our hideout is a freakin' school!"

"I thought you three would fit right in," Red X told them, not taking any offense. "This school was abandoned over five years. It'll be perfect for our new home."

"But why a school?" Jinx asked. Red X shrugged.

"Why not? It's perfect," Red X explained. "It has a cafeteria, a gym for training, two computer labs, and plenty of rooms for storage and board."

"Whatever..." Mammoth mumbled. "I just don't like the prospect of waking up and already being IN school!"

"But he's right," Terra admitted. "It does have enough room."

"Okay, get unpacked and find a room," Red X ordered. "All of your stuff is in the trunk."

After all of them had opened the trunk and pulled out their stuff, Red X lead them into the building. He showed them around, and gave them the full tour. Part of the classrooms area was gone, and had been boarded up. But there were still ten good classrooms to serve as bedrooms. There was a huge gym, and a cafeteria about the same size. Only one computer lab was left, but it was more than functional after Gizmo was through with it. There were even Home Ec, Tech Ed, Music, and Art rooms, for anyone who wanted to be creative.

"Okay, we have three bathrooms left..." Red X checked. "But if you want to shower, you have to use the locker rooms in the gym. Sorry."

"That's okay," Terra said. The other three just grumbled and went to claim a classroom.

Red X sighed. "I guess I'm not really that good as a leader, am I?" he wondered out loud.

"You're doing fine!" Terra reassured him. "We just didn't expect that we'd have to live in a school. By the way, how do you know this place so well?"

"I used to come here," Red X told her. "This was my middle school before they closed it down. A criminal destroyed most of the classrooms, as you saw, and they couldn't afford to re-open it. So they had it closed down. But my friends and I always used to come here to hang out. I know this place better than anywhere else."

"Oh, cool," Terra said. "So, where's your room?"

"My room is room 101, why?" X asked. Terra shrugged.

"I'm gonna get the one next to yours then," she grinned. "Room 102, here I come!"

As she lifted her bags and strolled off, Red X sighed. What a strange girl. But not bad.

XTXTXTXTXTXTXTXTXTXTXT Two weeks later XTXTXTXTXTXTXTXTXTXTXTXT

Two weeks had passed since the five had moved in to Desert Rat Middle School. Since then, they had already stopped three villains, and one bank heist. Cactus City already liked them. According to X, something was up, though. Sure, there had been a helluva lot of crime here before, but this was ridiculous. Red X always suspected a lot.

And thus, he had become much like Robin, holed up in e computer lab that Gizmo had got powered up and upgraded. He could be found there most of the day, when he wasn't beating the crap out of the gym with Mammoth.

The five of them had virtually bonded since coming together. They had learned to like the school, and they were even enjoying it. Friendships had even blossomed. Mammoth and Gizmo spent most of their time together, as did Jinx and Terra. Red X still participated with the rest of them, but he was to serious most of the time. The only person he spent much time with was Terra.

It had taken some time, but Terra was finally used to her four new friends. Jinx was probably her new best friends now, and they spent a lot of time together. Mammoth was also a lot of fun, and he was a hilarious guy. Gizmo, while childish at times, was always willing to help out, especially if it involved something mechanical.

But she wanted to spend more time with Red X. She was probably his best friend and she knew it. He didn't get out enough, as he had become a kind of super-Robin. She was the only one he really spent time with. On the off-chance that he wasn't in the computer lab, he was spending time with her. She was the only person he felt he could talk to openly. But he still spent most of his time in the lab.

And that's where Terra found him when she went looking for him yet again. He was hunched over, typing furiously.

"Sup?" Terra asked, coming right in the door. She looked over at the screen as she leaned on his shoulder. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Researching," Red X replied, not even flinching. He just kept on typing.

"WHAT are you researching?" Terra asked, persistent.

"There is someone out there controlling crime in this city," Red X said. "Have you noticed that in the past week, there have been four Tech robberies? Someone wants stolen technology."

"How do you know this?" Terra asked, worried.

"Remember the last guy we fought? Nucleus?"

"Big glowing green guy?" Terra asked. X nodded. "Yeah, what about him?"

"Did he seem smart enough to plan and rob technology?"

Terra thought about it.

_:FLASHBACK:_

"_I am Nucleus!" roared the glowing creature in front of them. The creature stood and easy ten feet tall and had large hands and feet. His head was incredible small. His entire body looked like it was made out of nuclear energy, as it was slimy and green. And glowing._

_Everyone was standing before a giant Tech company building. Nucleus was holding what appeared to be a giant ray gun of some sort. He was growling slightly, and the Titans were staring him down when Red X spoke._

"_And we're the Titan Reforms," Red X informed him. "Now put down the stolen technology, and surrender."_

"_Nucleus no surrender! Nucleus smash!"_

"_Whatever," Red X said. "Reforms, GO!" he cried, commanding his four teammates._

_At once, the Three HIVE students ran at Nucleus. Jinx blasted him head on with her hex blots, smashing him into the wall he had just broken through. As he fell back, Gizmo fired a barrage of missiles. The destructive weapons all hit their mark, and Nucleus screamed in pain. The monster roared as he stood back up and thrust his arm at them. The nuclear limb struck Gizmo and hit him back, breaking his wing. Jinx defended and hit him with another wave of hexes._

_Nucleus was too busy dealing with Jinx to realize Mammoth had snuck up on him. The hairy behemoth lifted the nuclear monster up over his head. Spinning him around and around, he threw the beast into the air._

"_Your serve, Terra!" Mammoth yelled._

"_Got him!" Terra cried. The girl raised her arms as her eyes glowed yellow. At once, a huge boulder lifted from the ground and smashed into the flying Nucleus._

"_Nucleus destroy!" he cried, angry. As his eyes glowed, he ran at Terra with rage. Terra pelted him with rocks, but they had no effect. At the last minute, Red X jumped in a saved Terra before Nucleus smashed into another wall._

"_RAARRRGH!" the beast cried. Furious, he thrust his arms out at them. Radioactive fluid burst from them, like acid. The acid splattered against the street, making a huge hole. As Terra and X fell as one, Red X pushed a button on his belt. The two teleported out of the hole and landed right behind Nucleus._

"_Take this, tough guy!" Red X cried, drawing an X blade. He threw a barrage fo the razor sharp projectiles into the creature's skin. As Nucleus cried out in pain, Red X finally threw a huge liquid X that wrapped itself around Nucleus, restraining him. The fight was over._

"_NO! Nucleus must escape. Steal machine for Master! Nucleus destroy!"_

_Nucleus was soon silenced as Mammoth walked up to him. "Shut up." Nucleus fell silent as Mammoth punched the beast in the face, knocking him unconscious._

_:END FLASHBACK:_

"You're right, he wasn't that smart," Terra agreed. "And he did mention some kind of master, now that you mention it."

"Exactly," Red X said. "And I have to find out who."

"You know, sometimes you are so much like Robin it's scary," Terra grinned, punching him in the shoulder.

"He and I...do have our similarities," Red X admitted, looking down. "But we also have our differences."

"Oh, come on," Terra said, lifting up his masked face. "Don't go all Eeyore on me! You used to be a criminal, so what! You've changed and that's all that matters."

"How...did you know I felt like that?" Red X asked, surprised. Maybe he was spending too much time with Terra after all. She was becoming too much like a detective.

"I just know," Terra said, taking a seat in a swivel chair next to him. "I feel like I've known you my whole life. I can read you like a book!"

"That's what scares me," Red X admitted, laughing with her. "You spend too much time with me."

"No, I don't spend ENOUGH time with you," Terra told him. "You know, just because you're the leader, it doesn't mean you can't come out and socialize every now and then."

"I know," Red X said. "I just don't talk much. It isn't like me."

"You talk with me all the time."

"You're...different," Red X said. Seeing her face fall, he began again. "Not in a bad way! I just fell like...I can talk to you about anything. And that's new to me."

"I guess I feel that way, too." Terra was surprised. She really hadn't felt this close to anyone before, even BeastBoy. The two of them, X and her, didn't share much in common at all, but they got along like best friends. "Still, you should get out more. When was the last time you were out of the school besides missions?"

"Uh..." Red X thought about it. "Actually...only once. And that was because I had to check on something." The truth was, X had gone out to inspect his old home one night. As an insomniac, he could often go on nighttime strolls. But Terra was right, again. He hadn't been out much at all.

"Which is exactly my point," Terra said, grinning. "How about this? You and me will go out for pizza tomorrow night. Just the two of us."

"Um..." Red X turned to his computer. He couldn't find any thing anyway. He had found no leads, other than two small ones. One night couldn't kill him, or his research. Besides, he hadn't been out for a while. And he did owe Terra.

"Okay, I accept your offer," Red X told her. Suddenly, she burst out in laughter. "What?"

"YOU!" she cried, laughing harder. "'I accept your offer'? What's wrong with you?"

"Why? What am I supposed to say?" Red X asked, grinning. His eyes narrowed.

"I dunno! Something like 'Why yes Terra, I'd love to join you!'" Terra said, giggling. "You take things way too seriously!"

That struck a nerve. Red X remembered back months ago. He remembered he had said that exact same thing to Robin only months ago. Terra was right. He was becoming more like Robin every day. This time out would better for him than he thought!

"You're right..." Red X mumbled. "Okay, I'll go out for pizza with you tomorrow night."

"That's better," Terra said, still grinning. "You really do work too much." With that, Terra stood up and left the room. "Good night," she said before shutting the door.

"Good night," Red X told her. He turned back to the computer and started typing again. However, after ten minutes of accomplishing absolutely nothing, Red X stopped. He couldn't concentrate. That was unusual for him.

Then he found out why. He couldn't concentrate because his mind was still stuck on one thing. He couldn't stop thinking about a certain blond girl. . .

:ELSEWHERE:

"Report!" came the low, accented voice.

"Um...we lost Nucleus, sir," came a deep, robotic voice. "We therefore lost the ray, as well."

"Unfortunate," the mysterious figure said, making a swift hand motion. "Once Nucleus is free, have him destroyed. We need that ray!"

"Yes sir."

"What about the Zinothium?" the figure asked again. This time, it was another robot that answered.

"Safe and secure, sir," the robot answered. "Shall we begin the test?"

"Yes, do that," the figure said, walking towards him. The figure was slightly shorter than the robot, was still menacing in his won manner. "And see to it that the tests are all positive."

"Yes sir."

"Now, show me that tape again," the figure said, taking his seat once again. The nearby robot obeyed and the figure watched the tape holding the show of his last two henchmen, Nucleus and Oxide, fall at the hands of the team called the Reforms.

"Curse the Titans," the figure spat. "I leave Jump City to escape the Titans, and yet a new set appears right under my nose!" Suddenly, the figure spotted something he hadn't seen before. Pausing the tape, he walked closer to the screen. He placed a wrinkled finger on the screen. He was pointing to Red X.

"Well well," the figure said, grinning. "If it isn't the bad boy from before. It seems someone has had a change of heart!" The figure grinned. "Still, this makes it al the sweeter."

The figure walked into the light of his Zinothium container. The red core gave off a deep red glow, casting light onto the otherwise pitch black room. The light revealed the figure as a short, elderly man. He was clearly oriental, and he wore a baggy white uniform. Wires and circuits ran up and down his body, enhancing his stamina.

"I say it's about time we pay our new friends a visit," the figure grinned. "Time to show Mr. X what a bad boy Professor Chang can be!"

**A/N: **Well, I'm done. Probably the longest chapter yet. I'm gonna have one more chapter before Red X and Terra's date. And then Chang will strike! Kudos to those that suspected the main villain was Prof. Chang! I did kind of make it pretty obvious...

The next chapter will be more emotional. Let's just say it will have both girl talk and guy talk. Not much action there, sorry. Action picks back up in chapter 6.

REVIEW! I love reviews more than tofu pizza! And I happen to like tofu pizza, in case any of you carnivores are wondering. So, anyway, review. Though I do have school now, I can still update faster if I get reviews.

PEACE OUT!


	5. Conversations about Relations

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Teen Titans. But I do have an entire season outlined and planned if the owners are interested. . .

**A/N: **Well, I'm bored again. I also finished my homework, so I'm free. Might as well update! Oh yeah...I forgot to give cookies to everyone that guessed Chang as the main villain. Go to any cookie store, and demand a free cookie. When they ask "why free?", say it's from Draco Blade. They'll understand. . .

Not much action in this chapter. Mostly girl talk and guy talk. Yeah.

Read it!

**Chapter 5: Conversations about Relations**

"I'm beat," Gizmo complained, walking into the school. He was walking limply, and his arms were dangling. "I don't even have to use any muscles in battle, and I'm STILL wiped out!"

"That's what happens when you have to stop three disturbances in one day," Red X said. He wasn't actually tired, but he never really got tired anymore. He had trained so well, these last three missions only tired him slightly. He was still in peak condition.

"You just have to exercise more, Gizmo," Mammoth commented, taking a big bite out of his hoagie. As he chewed, the continued to speak. "And you need to eat more, you're all skin and bones. Wanna bite?" He offered the sandwich to Gizmo, who turned green.

"No thanks..." he said, trying not to be sick. The hoagie was covered in drool, and some of it already had blue mold on it. He had obviously gotten it from the Home Ec. Area. That was the Reforms main kitchen now.

"I'm filthy," Jinx commented, dusting off her dress. "I'm going to go take a shower."

"Whatever."

"Are you kidding!" Terra cried, grinning. Her face and arms, and pretty much everything else was covered in dirt. "Being dirty is great! It means you had more fun!"

"Not all of us can control dirt," Jinx pointed out. "And you definitely need a shower. You're coming with me."

"Aw, man," Terra whined as Jinx began to drag her to the girls' locker room. "Do I have to?"

"Yes," all four of them said in unison.

"Spoilsports..."

As the two girls walked off to the showers, Gizmo turned towards the computer labs.

"Yo, X!" he exclaimed, getting the masked man's attention.

"I gotta update the computers and clear that virus you mentioned. I can't have you in there though, so you can't research right now. That okay with you?"

"Yes, that's fine," Red X replied. Great. Now he needed something else to do.

"Yo, X!" Mammoth said, using the same thing as Gizmo. "I gotta talk to you 'bout something. Wanna discuss it over a round in the gym?"

"Sure," Red X said, following his furry friend into the gym. They walked into the gym and pulled down the cover that divided the gym into two sections, the girls and the boys. This was done to make sure the two didn't see the girls coming out of the shower while they were exercising. Jinx had insisted on it after a little incident last week.

Mammoth quickly walked over to a pair of punching bags and had at them. Red X jumped on tot the treadmill and set it to a good running speed.

"So, what did...you want...to talk about?" Red X asked as he ran faster and faster.

"Oh, not much," Mammoth said, smiling as he punched his huge punching bag. "Just wanted to hear about you...and Terra."

"Terra?" Red X immediately stopped and looked over at Mammoth. "What about her?"

"I heard you two were going out on a date tonight," Mammoth said, grinning. "I wanted to make sure I got the facts straight."

"Who told you that?"

"Gizmo," Mammoth said. "He must have been near the computer lab last night, and he blabbed it to me. I just want to admit, you two do look real cute together."

Red X could feel himself blush beneath his mask. "We're not together!" he exclaimed, still running. "We're just going out for pizza. She said I needed to get out more."

"Well, that is true," Mammoth agreed. "But you sure that isn't the only reason you agreed to go out?" The beast-man grinned, looking over at him.

"I...uh," Red X stuttered. He couldn't belief it. HE was stuttering! He never stuttered! "What makes you think she likes me?"

"It's actually pretty damn obvious to me," Mammoth said. "When she isn't hanging with Jinx or us, she's with you. She spends as much time with you as you spend in that computer lab! And you can't tell me that thing in the X-Car two weeks ago wasn't anything."

"I just happened to be sitting next to her," Red X said, referring to the car incident.

"Right," Mammoth said. "So you don't have any feelings for her at all?"

"Well..." Red X trailed off, blushing still. "I...never said that..."

"Oh, so you DO have feelings for her?"

"I...maybe," Red X admitted, kicking himself mentally.

"Ah, so the truth is revealed," Mammoth said, smiling. He stopped punching the bags for a moment turn to X. "Com on, there's no shame in it! I mean, even Jinx has a boyfriend!"

"Jinx has a boyfriend?" Red X asked. "Who?"

"Cyborg," Mammoth said, smirking. "She got a personal computer hooked up in her room. When she isn't with the rest of us, she's IM-ing Cyborg."

"I didn't know that," Red X said. "So...you think I should ask Terra out on a real date?"

"Maybe," Mammoth said, shrugging. "But you should probably wait. See how tonight goes first."

"That's what I was thinking," Red X said, nodding. He turned off the treadmill and stepped off, slightly dizzy. "It actually felt good talking about it, thanks."

"No problem!" Mammoth said, shrugging.

"So...you sure she likes me?" Red X, actually sounding unsure.

Mammoth laughed. "Dude, she freakin' loves you!"

: GIRLS' SHOWERS :

Terra relaxed as she felt the warm water fall onto her naked body. Despite all her protests, she actually liked showers. They were very comforting, and they always made Terra feel like a million bucks. But she did miss the dirt.

Her scummy clothes were lying in a pile over at the shower entrance, along with Jinx's. The two girls were both in the large shower room, separated only by a metal plate coming out of the wall.

(A/N: I know they don't have those in most middle schools, but what the hell. It's rated T for crying out loud!)

Terra could just feel her body relax. The water flowed over, dousing her entire body in its warmth. Yes, she definitely liked her showers. A lot. However, her love for showers was interrupted when the girl next to her spoke.

"So, I hear you and X are going out on a date tonight," Jinx said casually, washing her arm.

Terra almost dropped her soap. "How–how did you find out about that?" she asked, blushing.

"Gizmo," Jinx answered casually. "He told me you asked Red out on a date last night."

"It's not really a date..." Terra said, blushing again. "I just wanted to know if he wanted to go out for pizza, that's all."

"Right..." Jinx said, grinning. "And that's the only reason you asked?"

"Well..."

"That's what I thought," Jinx said, smiling again. "Don't be worried about it! I'll keep your secret!"

"Okay..." Terra said, twiddling her thumbs. "The truth is...I do kinda like X. A lot."

"Thought so," Jinx said. "Don't mean to be rude, but it was pretty obvious."

"Yeah, I guess it was," Terra admitted. Her face was a bright crimson now. "I've never really been good about hiding my feelings."

"That's fine," Jinx said, still washing. "No problem with that. Besides, he likes you back, so what have you got to worry about?"

"He...likes me back?" Terr asked. She quickly looked over the metal plate to stare at Jinx's face. "Are you serious?"

"Of course," Jinx said, still grinning. "You didn't notice?"

"Notice what?"

"The signs, girl. The signs," Jinx said. "He's all over you! Why else do you think he lets you into the computer lab when he's researching, but not anyone else? Why else did he let you sleep on him in the X-Car?"

"Well..." Terra had to admit, their was obvious evidence. "I thought he just let me in because I'm the only one he can really talk to."

"And you don't think that's a sign, too?" Jinx asked. "Terra, he can only talk to you because he only feels comfortable around you. And that's cuz he likes you."

"Really?" Terra said, grinning. She could feel excited already. "YIPPEE! He likes me!"

"Calm down," Jinx said, laughing. "You're gonna slip and fall." She laughed again as Terra did exactly that.

"Ow..." Terra said, standing back up. She carefully moved back to her shower. "Should I...you know...tell him?"

"Maybe," Jinx said. "You should see how tonight goes first. If it goes well, go for it. If not, hold off. But I'm sure he likes you."

"Okay," Terra said, taking her advice to heart. "Hey, Jinx do you mind if I ask a really random question?"

"Shoot."

"Have you ever...kissed anyone before?" Terra could feel herself blush as she asked this.

"A couple," Jinx admitted, shifting a bit.

"Who?"

"Cyborg," Jinx said, blushing. "And Mammoth once, on a dare."

"When did you kiss Cyborg?" Terra asked. She knew all about Jinx's secret relationship with the metal teen.

"Months ago, when he was spying at the HIVE Academy," Jinx explained. "How about you? Ever kissed anyone before?"

"A few," Terra admitted. "There was one boy in my hometown, but I don't even remember his name. And I almost kissed BeastBoy once, but it was ruined."

"Anyone else?" Jinx asked, sensing Terra was holding back.

"Well..." Terra said, thinking about it. Then she blushed again. "I kissed X on the cheek once."

"You actually got to see his face!" This time it was Jinx's turn to stare at Terra.

"No," Terra said. "I guess I actually kissed his mask, but you know what I mean."

"Yeah," Jinx said. "Hey, that's how you can tell if you loves you! If he takes off his mask to you, then he likes you!"

"You think he will?" Terra asked, looking worried.

Jinx smiled. "Girl, he likes you WAY more than he lets on. And he lets on quite a lot."

: SOMEWHERE ELSE :

"The preparations are complete?" Chang asked the nearby robot.

"Everything according to plan, sir."

"Excellent..." Prof. Chang said, looking over his shoulder. Behind him stood a TV screen, still paused to show Red X holding onto Terra. "Then all we need is to stop the opposition."

He chuckled loudly in his thick, hilarious oriental accent. He looked at the girl in Red X's arms. "And I already know his weakness," he said, grinning. "His pretty little friend..."

**A/N: **Am I good at making Chang bad or what? I always thought that dude could be a better villain than he let on. Just to let you know, this story will probably be a total of nine chapters long. That's four more, in case any of you are mathematically challenged.

Sorry if this chapter was short. I promise the next one will be much longer.

Now, review yet again. I love reviews almost as much as I like writing. And you all know I freakin' love writing!

PEACE OUT


	6. Dates and Invasions

**Disclaimer: **Bleh. And then more Bleh. That's really all I own.

**A/N: **Well, I'm updating. Sorry it's late, I wasn't in the mood for writing. Now to respond to several reviewers that said they didn't think Mammoth was as...perceptive as he was in chapter five. My answer: how would you know? The guy has said a grand total of, like, ten lines throughout the entire series. Not a very reliable source.

And for those of you that still don't believe that, think about Raven. Does she always appear the same around her enemies as she does around her friends? People act differently around different people. And it's my belief that Mammoth isn't as dumb or thick as he lets on. Gizmo on the other hand. . .

Forget this. Read now.

**Chapter Six: Dates and Invasions**

Terra returned to her room a happy girl. She was fresh and clean, she had on new clothes, and she had just learned the guy she loved liked her back. At least according to Jinx. But hey, some knowledge is better than none at all, right?

Terra walked into her room, still trying to get her long blonde hair to dry. She wanted it to be perfect for her 'date' with X tonight. She really wasn't sure if it was a real date or not, but she didn't know what else to call it.

Closing the door behind her, Terra walked over to her dresser. Her room in the school, once properly decorated, looked very much like her old one in Titans Tower. The walls were painted to resemble mountains during sunset, and stars were painted on the ceiling.

Terra looked in her mirror to inspect her appearance. She was now longer dirty, but was now very clean. The water still glistened off her face. While Terra would have settled to be dirty any other day, she was glad she was clean tonight.

Terra combed her hair, desperately trying to remove some bothersome knots. She looked at what she was wearing while she did so. She was still wearing her usual black and yellow shirt and shorts. Terra wondered if this was acceptable enough for tonight.

'It's probably fine,' Terra reassured herself, grinning. 'It's not like X is going to be wearing anything special!' The masked hero would probably be wearing his usual costume. Terra hoped she could at least try to get his mask off tonight.

She grinned as she thought about his mask. Back when she was a Titan, and not a Reform, she and the others would often debate on what Robin had under his mask while he was gone. Cyborg thought he had a robotic eye, while BB though he just had a bad case of acne. Raven would usually just roll her eyes. Star had always come up with the wildest ideas, of course.

Terra wondered what Red X could be hiding under his own mask. Maybe he was scarred, or maybe his skin was another color entirely, like BB's. Or maybe he didn't have any skin, like Slade! The possibilities were endless!

Terra looked down at her dresser. Lying on top of it was a lone tube of lipstick. After thinking about, Terra pushed it away. That would probably be pushing things.

"Ready yet?" came a voice from above.

"YAH!" Terra screamed, jumping from her chair. She fell over and the chair landed on top of her. Looking around, Terra finally looked up to see her intruder. "Red X?"

"Who else?" X said, jumping form his place on the ceiling. "Were you expecting anyone else?"

"How did you get in?" Terra asked, her eyes wide.

"Air duct," X said, coughing a bit and dusting himself off.

"O-kay..." Terra said. "Well, you seem to be much better already."

"What can I say?" Red X said, shrugging and tilting his head. "I think this is exactly what I needed."

"But why were you in here?" Terra asked, faking anger. "For all you know, I could've been naked!"

"Well, I'll admit, that thought did occur to me," Red X said, grinning behind his mask. "But I figured I was willing to risk it."

"Yeah, you're back to normal," Terra said, smirking. "Back to the fun-loving, anti-serious, slightly perverted Red X we've all come to love."

"Yep," X said, grinning again. "Would you have me any other way?"

"Doubt it," Terra said, grinning. "I'm ready to go, how about you?"

"Good to go," X said, opening the door to her room. "Ladies first!"

"Ooh, what a gentleman," Terra said, smirking at him. She loved jokers. Was it any wonder she had been attracted to BeastBoy before?

The two walked down the main hall until they reached the lobby. They found Mammoth, Gizmo, and Jinx waiting for them there.

"What's up?" Red X asked.

"Just here to wish you luck," Jinx said, smirking slightly. "We'll be sure to contact you if anything goes down around here."

"And I'll have the security system up in no time," Gizmo said, looking up from a pair of wires he was attempting to cut in half. "I'll have this baby shielded before you two even get back from your date."

"Uh..."

"Well, it's..."

"Never mind him," Mammoth said, knocking the midget on the head with a fist, but accidentally knocking him out cold. "Oops..."

"You two just have fun!" Jinx said, pushing the pair out the door. "Like I said, I'll contact you if anything happens." Behind her, Mammoth could be seen trying to wake up Gizmo, but failing horribly.

"Um, okay..." Terra said, looking back. Jinx threw them out the door and slammed it close behind them. She turned to her 'date'. "So, up for pizza?"

"Definitely," Red X said. "My teleportation only works short distance though. Wanna take the X-Car?"

"I got a better idea," Terra said, grinning. At once, her eyes began to glow a deep yellow. As X watched, Terra terra-kinetically lifted a huge boulder with a flat top. "Hop on!" she cried, jumping on the rock itself. Red X grabbed her hand and pulled himself up as well.

"Hang on tight!" Terra cried, leaning forward. At once, the boulder lifted up and sprang forward. The rock surfed through the air quickly, flying fast and dodging lampposts.

"Whoa!" Red X said, losing balance. He quickly wrapped his arms around Terra without noticing, to make sure he wouldn't fall off. Terra blushed slightly at the close contact, but otherwise kept the boulder steadily hurling towards the pizza place.

After a good two minutes of flying on the rock, Terra stretched her arms up, and the two glided up to the top floor of the pizzeria (it's the same design as the one from Jump City!).

"Last stop, pizzeria," Terra said, laughing as Red X stumbled off the boulder shakily. He had to grab onto her to keep himself steady.

"That was...interesting," Red X said, his legs wobbly.

"Yeah, but you were hanging onto me the whole trip," Terra said, smirking. She had him now. "You would think a big-time hero like you could keep his balance!"

"Who said it had anything to do with balance?" Red X said, grinning under his mask. Oh yeah, HE was back!

"I...uh, well..."

"Come on, let's eat," Red X said, saving her from answering. He locked arms with her and strode right over to the counter. Both were blushing, but X was glad he had a mask on. He noticed she was blushing.

"You should get a mask like me," he said, pointing at her.

"Why?"

"It would hide your blush," Red X said, smiling under his mask again. Terra, of course, only blushed deeper.

"So are you telling me that you're blushing right now?" Terra countered, trying to get her face back to normal. However, we all know that's humanly impossible.

"Maybe," Red X said, still grinning. Smooth. Didn't say no and insult her, and didn;t say yes to reveal himself straight out. Pure genius, in his mind.

"'Maybe' is just french for definitely," Terra smirked.

"You know french?" X asked.

"Well...no..."

Ten minutes later, the two were still arguing, but they found their table and ordered. Terra found she could talk to X very easily. It was like she had known him all her life! He was, in her mind, the perfect combination. He had the smarts and technical know-how of Cyborg, with the jokes and carefree attitude of BeastBoy. All wrapped up in a Robin package.

And Red X found the could talk t Terra very easily as well. She was very easy to get along with, like it would take a sociopath to not like her! And she was definitely...different from the other girls had known. She was wide open, never hiding anything, always honest. And she never judged anyone, something that Red X found very unique. But then, considering what she had done before, she wouldn't be very judgmental, would she?

After a good twenty minutes of just talking, the pizza finally arrived. Terra quickly pulled off a slice and began to eat. As she did, she looked up slowly. She had never been around X when he ate before. Would he take off his mask!

Unfortunately, no. As she looked, she saw X pull up only the bottom part of his mask. It revealed his neck, chin, and mouth. That was all. But it was enough for the moment. Terra saw that X's skin was slightly dark, and tanned. He looked Hispanic.

Considering he used to live here in Cactus City, this didn't surprise Terra at all. She assumed Cactus City was somewhere in Texas (X never told them), so it would make sense that he be Hispanic. But what Terra didn't get was his voice. His voice, to her at least, didn't sound in the least Hispanic in any way. He didn't have the accent.

Maybe he just never learned Spanish, she thought. You can be Hispanic and still not have the accent, or even the language! He had probably been born in the US.

"Could you pass the pepper?" he asked her. His voice shook her to look up. Passing the pepper, she almost had to stare. His voice...was so different without the mask filtering it! She actually heard an accent there. She was right, he had been of Spanish origin.

Terra continued to at her pizza as she stared at him. She noticed that along his jaw was the beginning of a scar. It stretched from the left side of his mouth and up to who-knows-where else. Terra could even see he had a gold tooth in the back of his mouth. Terra could only realize how he had obtained those.

"Something wrong?" Red X asked, looking at her. She had been staring at him for minutes now.

"No! Nothing wrong..." Terra said nervously. When he continued to look at her strangely, she sighed. "I was just...looking at your face. Of what I can see that is. I didn't know you were Hispanic."

"Is that a problem?" Red X asked. He didn't sound it, but he was slightly hurt. "I mean, I know you're white, but..."

"No, it's nothing, really! I don't care!" Terra said, trying to convince him. "I just thought you might have been white too, what with the voice and all. I guess that was probably racist, now that I think about it..."

"It wasn't," X told her. Without the mask, his voice was accented, even just slightly. "You're right, the mask filtered it to make my voice more...like Robin's. I can put it back on if you want..."

"Really, it's fine. I actually like it," Terra said, grinning. "Besides I should have guessed it, you said you used to live here. And we are in like, Texas or something..."

"New Mexico, actually," Red X told her. "We are currently in New Mexico, very close to the border, actually."

"Oh," Terra said. She was curious to learn more. Besides, when else would she have another chance to learn more about X's past? "Was your family Mexican?"

She could tell right away she had done something wrong. Red X stopped chewing without swallowing. His eyes slowly turned down and he looked away.

"Look, I'm sorry," Terra said, getting up to go over to him. "I really didn't mean to mention that. I didn't mean anything by it..."

"It's okay," X said, looking back up. His voice, no longer filtered, finally revealed emotion. And it was sad, hurt. "You have a right to know the truth. My parents...were illegal immigrants from Mexico. When I was six, we came over the border, but were stopped by border-police. They told us to stop, but my father told us to run. The border-police...shot both my mother and my father that night. The police found em and put me in a foster family for ten years, until they died as well. And now...here I am."

"X..." Terra said, looking at him with concern. "I'm so sorry. I've never lost family before, so I may not know much about that, but it sounds painful! I don't think I could have lived like that..."

"It's okay," he told her. "I've accepted it by now, it is nothing new to me."

"But it doesn't mean I'm not still sorry," Terra said with a slight grin.

"Thank you," X said. "But it really is nothing." After a moment he finally asked, "how about you? Any family? Madre, padre?"

"I had...my grandmother," Terra said. (A/N: Please keep in mind I have no freaking clue what Terra's origin was in the comics, so please bear with me). "There's really not much to tell. I lived with my grandmother until a few years ago, when I ran away, because of these powers. I couldn't control them, and they accidentally caused me to...hurt someone. I ran away and found the Titans. And you know everything after that."

"I see," X said, his accent still apparent without the filter. "It seems neither of us has had a normal live, the?"

"Nope," Terra said, laughing. "Still...it's looking up right about now!" she said, looking up at him. Without the mask covering his entire face, Terra could actually see his mouth smile visibly. She felt her hand interlock with his own.

As the two held hands, they both blushed. Terra could actually see the red materializing in X's face finally. Taking a chance, she began to lean forward towards him, slightly. Red X followed suit. Both of them moved ever closer, inch by inch, centimeter by freakin' centimeter. Terra could feel his breath on her face, and she welcomed it. She closed her eyes as she felt her lips brush against his. . .

_DEET DEET DEET!_

Both Red X and Terra pulled back as they heard X's communicator go off. Terra looked down, blushing madly. She could hear X curse in Spanish next to her. He picked up the communicator and quickly pulled his mask over his entire face. He pushed the red button.

"Yes Jinx, what is it?" he asked, exasperation apparent in his voice.

"GET YOUR BUTTS BACK HERE!" Jinx yelled into the communicator, making both Red X and Terra stare at her. Jinx never yelled!

"Jinx, what's wrong?" Red X , panic now apparent in his voice, despite the filter.

"What's wrong!" She cried, staring at them. "I'll tell you what's wrong! Some nutcase is invading the school! We're under attack!"

**A/N: **Well, hoped you likey. I'll probably add either three or four more chapters altogether, whichever. Remember to review. If you don't review, I'll never make Red X and Terra kiss! HA! Don't you just love blackmail?


	7. Betrayal

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own em. Not yet anyway. . .

**A/N: **Really not that much to say. Thanks to all for your great reviews, despite the fact I can't respond to them. I never thought this story would be as popular as it is. Thanks! Now, we left with Red X and Terra finding their home is being invaded, right? Well, then, let's go!

**Chapter Seven: Betrayal**

"Zeta Maneuver!" Jinx cried to her only remaining teammates. Without question, Mammoth and Gizmo zoomed in, following the former HIVE technique. As Jinx blinded the enemies with a pink blast of light, Mammoth took down all the foes on the left, while Gizmo blasted the right with missiles.

The three were doing their best to drive out the hundred robots that were gradually making their way into the school. The robots looked like huge men in white uniforms, all wearing steel masks. They were armed with various types of weapons, but all of them were armed with Zinothium.

"There's too many!" Mammoth cried, punching another robot through the face. On his other side gizmo fired a powerful laser and ripped ten robots apart.

"Doesn't matter!" Jinx called back, blasting another nearby robot. The Zinothium tank on its back exploded, covering he three behind it as well. "Just keep 'em back! Terra and X will be here soon!"

"Wrong!" came a distant voice. As everyone turned to look, a giant boulder burs through the doorway, destroying several robots in the process. Terra appeared behind it and opened up a fissure that swallowed a good ten robots whole.

"We're here!" X cried, throwing a dozen razor sharp X-blades that proceeded to rip apart some nearby robots. Another robot cam up behind him with a special staff. The staff had two red balls on either side, holding Zinothium. The robot struck X, causing the hero to scream in pain.

"Get away from him!" Terra cried, her eyes glowing yellow. As her hands rose up into the air, so did the earth itself. A great stalagmite rose up, impaling the robot through the torso.

Red X stood up and jumped over to where the other three were, thanking Terra along the way. As he ran, he drew a special liquid X. Throwing it, he managed to snag four different robots with each of the four points of the X. The four robots were grabbed, and pulled in at the same tiem. An explosion followed as four robots were thrust into each other.

A few rogue robots drew up and surrounded the three former HIVE students ad Terra and Red X held their own in another part of the school. A few robots drew their guns and fired. Mammoth and Jinx cried in pain as the red lasers struck them down. Gizmo merely shielded himself without thinking twice.

"Gizmo!" Mammoth cried, looking up at his friend. To his dismay, Gizmo didn't even look twice. The young boy fired an array of missiles, destroying the robots that surrounded them, but also hurting Mammoth in the process.

"We've got to help the others!" Red X cried to Terra as he punched another robot's face in. The robot fell to the ground and exploded in a blast of Zinothium. "Where did he get that...?" Red X wondered out loud. He recognized these robots...from where, he didn't know.

"I'm on it!" Terra cried, lifting both her and X into the air on a floating rock. She sped through the school, trying to find their friends. They were frightened by what they finally found. Their three friends were in the gym, fighting for their lives. Dozens of robots were flooding in from everywhere.

Mammoth was on the ground, completely unconscious, and bleeding everywhere. Jinx was still hodlding her won, but bleeding heavily. One arm was limp. Gizmo was the only one unharmed. It looked like the young man had gone mad, firing missiles in every direction possible. He was going to bring the whole school down!

"I don't know how you guys got in," Red X said cocky, "but I know how you're getting out!" Saying this, Red X pulled out a very special X. Throwing the giant metal X in the air, he grabbed Terra quickly. Pushing the button on his chest, he activated his teleportation. The two disappeared.

The X finally landed. And did nothing. The robots crowded around it, scanning for any danger. That's when they heard the ticking. Without any time to move, the robots cried out as the X exploded. The room filled with Zinothium fire, lighting the robots packs. As Red X and Terra returned, they found the gym empty of robots.

"Good idea!" Jinx cried, rushing over to them. She had hidden in the locker room after seeing the bomb. Gizmo had merely turned on his shield generator.

"I think we got them all," Terra said, glad.

"Not quite," Gizmo said, walking over to them on his spider legs. "Scanner says about fifty more in the front lobby."

"Right," Red X said. "Leave Mammoth for now, we'll have to help him later." Turning towards the exit of the gym, he pointed and cried "Reforms! GO!"

At once, all four of the remaining Reforms sped off down the hall. Gizmo flew with his bat wings while Terra gave Jinx a lift on a floating rock. Red X merely teleported. They entered the lobby to find that Gizmo was right. A new group of robots was just arriving.

"REFORMS, GO!" Red X cried, pushing a button on his belt. As he did this, the turned his entire body invisible, even to the robots. As the robots looked around, they heard a metallic _SNIT_ sound. Red X had drawn two large metal X's to use as hand blades. The invisible leader then proceeded to slash apart robot after robot.

Terra rose up in the air on a great pillar of rock. Rising up as far as she could, she broke the pillar apart into many apices of solid rock. Floating on the top segment, she fired the rest at the robots. The rocks ground the robots into dust, and knocked them apart.

Jinx was probably struggling the most. Her one arm was now useless, and she was now firing all her energy out of the one arm. It blasted apart robot after robot, but she was slowing down. She spun and twirled, helping the robots destroy each other as she tried to catch her breath. She knew she couldn't keep this up much longer.

"Gizmo!" Jinx cried, looking over at her friend. The boy was now blasting everything he had everywhere, not caring who or what he struck. A line of blood ran down his forehead. Lasers, missiles, even smoke bombs were being thrown in a mad attempt top stop the robots. He was out of it. Or so Jinx thought.

As Jinx tried to contact Gizmo again, she was grabbed from behind by a large group of robots. One of them fired a Zinothium ray at her, rendering her powerless and burned. She panted for breath as she struggled to remain awake.

"Gizmo...help..." she panted, looked up at him. Gizmo finally stopped blasting and looked over at her. And then the most frightening thing Jinx had ever seen happened. Despite the current predicament, Gizmo grinned. He _grinned_!

"Why should I?" he asked, approaching on his spider legs. "After all, everything is going according to plan!" Before Jinx could even gasp in horror, Gizmo electrocuted her with a taser. She screamed out in pain, and then slipped into unconsciousness.

"Gizmo, what are you doing!" Red X cried in disbelief.

"Exactly what I planned to do from the start," Gizmo said with a grin. Typing into his control panel, the robots suddenly turned towards Terra and X.

"You...you betrayed us," Red X said, not believing what he was hearing. "You're the one controlling the robots. You've been deceiving us the whole time!"

"No, not me," Gizmo said, grinning even wider. "US!"

"Us?" Red X asked. Suddenly, his eyes widened in horror. Terra walked over to Gizmo and stood beside him. Her head was down, and it looked like she was crying.

"Terra...no..." Red X mumbled under his breath. He couldn't believe it. The girl he had loved, the one person he felt comfortable around...and she was a criminal. "How long?"

"Since we arrived," Gizmo said, smiling like a maniac. Terra was still sniffling slightly. "Did you actually think you could change her? She is, and always will be, a traitor."

"X..." Terra said, looking up. Her eyes were tearing, and looked blood shot. "I'm so sorry...he said he would kill you if I didn't..."

"Who did? Who are you working for!" Red X cried. Two of his teammates had just betrayed him, and he wanted to know why! Especially since he loved one. . .

"Actually," came a voice behind him. "That would be me."

As Red X turned around, he was blasted by another ray of Zinothium. The red element sucked his energy away, and he fell to his knees. He breathed hard as he looked up at his enemy.

Prof. Chang.

"It's been a while, bad boy," Chang said, leaning in close to him. "Did you really think you could just start a team here, right under my nose? Not gonna happen." Chang grinned. "Especially once my little plan unfolds. Not even your girlfriend will be able to stop me!"

"Chang..." Red X growled, looking up at his rival. "I will kill you..."

"Oh no no no," Chang said, tsking him with his finger. "I don't believe you will. That is...unless you want the pretty girl to die..." He pointed over to Terra, who was now crying openly.

"Gizmo, Terra," Chang commanded. "Get back to base. We will proceed with the plan."

"As you wish," Gizmo said, walking out of the building with his spider legs. The robots filled out after him in three single file lines. There were only about twenty left.

"Why?" Red X growled softly, looking up at the scientist.

"Why?" he repeated, looking down at the fallen hero. "Because you are the only thing in my way. And now that you are gone...my plan is unstoppable! Prepare to see a new Chang soon! Leader of Cactus City!"

"You're mad!" X growled.

"Probably," Chang said, laughing like a maniac. "But I guess we'll determine that later, now won't we?" Chang looked back to see Terra hadn't left yet. The girl was crying softly, staring at Red X, laying on the ground.

"Terra?" Chang said. She looked up at him. Chang grinned evilly. "Would you mind doing the honors?" As he said this, five remaining robots dumped the limp bodies of Jinx and Mammoth next to Red X.

"As you wish...master..." Terra said, sobbing. She lifted up her hands, her eyes glowing yellow. She looked at Red X one final time.

"Terra, you don't have to do this..." Red X said, looking up at her.

"Yes...I do..." Terra said, looking away.

"Terra..." Red X said, his voice cracking slightly. "I love you..."

"I know," Terra said. With that, she closed her fists together. As she did so, a huge fissure opened up, swallowing the three friends. Terra listened to the three fall as she closed the gap up. She felt herself begin to cry again.

"Terra!" Chang commanded. She looked up slightly. "Come, we must go."

"Yes, Master Chang," Terra said, taking one last look at the crack in the ground. Seeing something, she picked it up. It was an X-blade, one of the razor sharp ones that X used to throw. Feeling it, Terra accidentally cut herself on the sharp blade. She felt the tears return. _He was gone. . ._

"Terra, now!" Chang commanded.

"As you wish."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX Under the Surface XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We're alive..." Mammoth said, shaking his head. "But why...?"

"Because Terra didn't want to kill us," Red X mumbled.

"How can you say that?" Jinx asked, mad. "She betrayed us! Just like that little twerp..."

"We're alive, aren't we!" Red X shouted. The other two shrunk back. "Whether by mistake or not, we're all alive. And that means...we can still fight."

He took a deep breath and grabbed the back of his mask. He ripped it from his face, making both Mammoth and Jinx gasp. What they saw was both mysterious and frightening. Their leader stood before them, completely unmasked.

Red X stood, his mask off completely. His tanned, Hispanic skin was bleeding and sweating heavily. Blood dripped from the gold tooth in his mouth. A painful scar traveled up from his cheek across the side of his face, just missing his eye. Messy black hair covered the top of his head

He spoke in his accent. "And as long as we can fight, we will." He growled softly as his two teammates stared back in fear. "Even if it means we have to take them down."

**A/N: **Betcha five bucks you guys weren't expecting that! Am I good at plot-twisting or what? Seven chapters down, two to go, guys! Next chapter is the return of the Reforms, and the final battle begins! The countdown has begun, dudes!

Review away!

PEACE OUT!


	8. Second Chances

**Disclaimer: **I don't even own my own computer. I'm borrowing someone else's! What makes you think I'd own the Teen Titans!

**A/N: **Thanks for all the reviews, people! My original goal for reviews was fifty, and you guys did it! But I still want more. Lost more. Som keep reviewing!

Now, I want to tell everyone some good news. I have decided to extend the length of this story. Originally, it was only going to be nine chapters long. However, someone finally convinced me to make a few more. Thus, this story will now be a total of ten to eleven chapters. Don't ya love me? My thanks goes out to my e-mail friend, Fargol, who was the one that finally convinced me to make more chapters. While she wanted twelve, I can do no more than eleven, if I'm lucky. Everyone give Fargol a HUGE thanks!

And now for chapter eight, which was never actually a planned chapter. This chapter is completely last-minute made, so sorry in advance if it sucks. But I hope it doesn't. Okay, I'll stop now. . .

**Chapter Eight: Second Chances**

Cactus City, Midnight. There are a few words that shouldn't go together! Who in their right mind would be out at midnight in Cactus City? It's Cactus City for crying out loud! You could be shot just trying to cross the street. The place was dangerous enough during the day. But after night? Well, let's just say there's a reason people don't go out after dark in Cactus City.

But despite that, that was exactly what two individuals were doing. One was female, with long blonde hair. Her clothes were dirty and torn, but she didn't care. She flew through the city on a flying boulder, levitated above the ground.

The other figure was following right behind her, flying as well. He was short, about three feet tall. His head was bald and his eyes were covered by goggles. He wore a green-black jumpsuit. A pair of large, metal wings were coming out of a pack on his back, allowing him flight.

Terra and Gizmo.

The latter was smiling to himself, his goggles glowing as he activated another command through his handheld device. As he did so, an explosion was heard, echoing through the night. The two were now located over top a huge compound, full of people you would never want to meet. A prison.

Alarms cried out as the prison was penetrated by Gizmo's masterful mechanics. The doors opened, letting loose every single prisoner. The already over packed prison was swamped as inmates flooded from their cells, rushing to find an exit.

"C'mon Terra!" Gizmo cried, signaling to the blonde geomancer. "We came here for Automatron, remember? If we don't finish this, Chang will have both our hides!"

Terra simply nodded. She couldn't bring herself to speak anymore, especially to him. She hated Gizmo almost as she hated Chang. He reminded her too much of herself. Far too much.

Raising her hands into the air, Terra's eyes began to glow yellow. As her body glowed with the same colored energy, a huge pillar of earth rose up from the center of the prison. A single prisoner was on top of the pillar.

To describe the figure accurately, you would have to see him yourself. But I'll do my best. The figure looked, basically, like a huge robot. He had two large legs, along with two large arms. His entire body was made out of metal, and his red core could be seen glowing in his chest. His silver plated head was square shaped, and had a single red eye looking out. Lasers and missiles were located over every inch of skin possible.

Gizmo quickly shot out a computer chip at the lumbering robot. The chip, which had a red _C_ on it, was of Chang's design, of course. The chip latched on to the robot, and was pulled into its core, activating it. Automatron was awake, and now completely under Chang's control.

"Excellent work," Chang said through his communicators. He laughed out loud, just as any maniacal scientist should do. "A job well done. Gizmo, order Automatron to come back to base. After this is done, I want you two to finish scouting. Everything has to be ready for our little plot."

"As you wish...master," Terra said , disgusted. "Why do you want Automatron, anyway?"

"Because I made him, silly girl," Chang said. "He alone has the blueprints I need for my plan to succeed. And for the blueprints, I need him! Now stop asking questions."

"As you wish, " both said at once. Chang hung up. Gizmo looked over at Terra.

"What's with you?" he asked, sneering at her. For such a little thing...Gizmo was so cruel. "You don't still miss them, do you? It's been a full day! Get over it!"

"Don't you have a city to scout?" Terra said, glaring at him. Gizmo stuck his tongue out at her and flew off, heading for the east part of Cactus City. Automatron shot off himself, a jetpack unfolding from his back. The lumbering robot shot off into the air, towards Chang's base. All he said were a few commanding beeps.

Terra watched them both go. Seeing Automatron fly off into the distance, she called forth her boulder transport. Jumping on, she headed for her west part of Cactus City. She had a job to do.

As soon as she knew she was out of range, Terra felt herself begin to cry. She quickly flew away from them all, searching for a place to land. At last, she found it. Desert Rat Middle School. The poor girl landed the boulder and fell off unceremoniously. She didn't care.

She sobbed, holding her head in her hands. She could feel her body shake as the sobs rocked her back and forth. The tears fell, and she let them. She didn't want to stop. She had now lost all of her friends. One had betrayed them, and the other three...she had defeated them.

Not killed, but defeated. Something even Chang didn't know. She was fully aware that her friends were alive. She had merely dropped them into the fissure, nto actually killing them. As long as they landed right...they would be fine.

But they didn't know she had let them live. Nor did Chang or Gizmo. No one did. To the world at large, the Reforms were dead. And she had killed them. Terra, the traitor. She had killed her own friends.

She realized she would always be that. She would always be Terra the traitor, the betrayer. It was who she was it seemed. No matter how long she tried, or how hard, she couldn't change. She thought she had, she had hoped. But it turned out she was wrong.

Terra felt terrible. She had been given another second chance. She had the chance to redeem herself, to change her past. She had the chance to do great things. And she had destroyed that as well. She had destroyed her only chance of happiness.

She had been given so many chances, and she had screwed up every single one of them. But she didn't have to, she realized. Terra looked up. She could still redeem herself. Her friends were still alive, she knew that much. And she knew Chang's plan...some of it, at least.

She had enough to change the outcome. She could stop Chang, or at least Gizmo. She could rescue her friends. And she could save Cactus City. She could finally become the hero she had always wished she could be.

Terra stopped crying and sniffed a bit. Her tears were creating mud. She realized she hadn't washed since she fought last night. Her face was streamed with mud. She smiled a nit as she though what Red X would think of that. She missed him so much. . .

And that made her even sadder. Not only had she betrayed her friends (again) to an evil madman (again), but she had also lost the one she loved in the process. Again. This was just like last time! This is just like Slade!

No...no, it's not, Terra realized with a start. Last time...she had been controlled, weak. She had been unable to control herself. But that wasn't the case here. Here...she could do what she wanted. She was able to change the outcome...and she would.

Terra drew out the X-blade she had found last night. The red X was still as sharp as its user. Pulling it out, she took off her glove, exposing her soft skin. She fearlessly ran her finger up the blade, cutting it in the process.

As she flinched in pain, Terra got up, holding her finger. She took it and walked over to a huge crack in the ground. Not just any crack...the fissure she had thrown her friends into. Placing her bleeding finger on the crack, the fissure began to glow a deep red.

Yellow energy surged from her blood, melting the rock in the lobby of the school. The blood acted as lava, carving the land as she wished. As her eyes glowed yellow, Terra chanted her feelings. She cried out all her innermost feelings towards her friends, all her emotions, all her memories of them. She told the rock everything. And it listened.

Twenty minutes later, Terra felt her eyes stop glowing. She landed back on the ground and finally became visible. She looked out and saw what her Earth spell had accomplished. The lobby was now demolished, along with the rest of the school..Nothing remained of Desert Rat Middle School. However, something else had taken its place.

Three great sculptures, made of the finest stone, stood in the center of the ruins. Red X, Jinx, and Mammoth. The three Reforms stood, carved in stone, standing over the rest of the school. They were in perfect likeness, down to the last detail.

A description lied beneath them. It read as follows:

_Red X, Jinx, Mammoth_

_The Titans South_

_The Reforms_

_The heroes of Cactus City_

_In presence and absence_

_They will watch over us_

_Always._

Terra felt her eyes begin to tear again. She looked away from her masterpiece to cry. She felt ashamed, and guilty to the greatest degree. And she knew she should be. She had every right to be miserable. What she had done was unforgivable.

She looked up as she felt the communicator on her belt vibrate. Taking if off, she quickly wiped away her tears and cleaned her face off a little. She pushed the button that made the communicator turn on.

"Terra! You are needed!" Chang yelled out of the communicator. "There is trouble downtown, where Gizmo is! I cannot assist, as I am in a very delicate stage of procedures right now. Go to Gizmo, and help him."

"As you wish, Master Chang," Terra said, wiping her eyes again. "What is it, by the way?"

Chang's eyes narrowed. The wire that lead to his mouth glowed as he stared at her. "Apparently our friends are still with us," he growled in his oriental accent. "It's the Reforms again. Back fromt the dead."

"But...but, I..."

"No buts, girl!" Chang said, his eyes glowing red as Zinothium pumped through them.

"TAKE–THEM–OUT!"

**A/N: **Heh, cool. Like I said earlier, review like there's no freakin tomorrow! I want as many reviews as possible, people!

I might make eleven chapters, if I'm lucky. Definitely ten, though. Definitely ten.

Until next time, True Believers! Heh, Stan Lee again...

PEACE OUT!


	9. Back from the Dead

1**Disclaimer: **Hasn't changed since I last updated. Really, I swear!

**A/N:** Ha, updating twice in one day. Do I rock or what? Iknow I just updated, but I really want to do it again! Yay for me! And you guys, too, I guess. Once again, thanks to Fargol for making me write more! Thank her, you hogs!

I command you to read. And if you disobey me...then you don't read. HA!

**Chapter Nine: Back from the Dead**

"You know what to do!" Red X cried to his last two remaining teammates. His suit was torn and dried blood was still visible on his unmasked face. He sneered at the enemy. "No second chances!"

"No second chances!" echoed Mammoth and Jinx. Mammoth was now shirtless, his chest completely exposed. Yellow muscles jutted out, revealing many bruises and cuts. Jinx looked basically the same, except she now had a scar running down her cheek, scarring her otherwise pretty face. Her body was badly burnt.

And yet, there they stood. All three of the Reforms. Back from the dead. The three had just appeared out of the sewers, and come face to face with Gizmo, who had ordered an army of robots to come to his aid. The coward.

The bald midget was now in the back of about thirty white and red robots, all dressed in Chang's...er, unique style. They wielded various types of weapons, but all were charged with Zinothium. That was fine with X. Fight fire with fire.

"This ends here, Gizmo!" Jinx cried, running at her former friend. As Gizmo grinned in excitement, he ordered the robots via handheld device. As he did so, they all sprung to life and attacked. Jinx was the first to get hit. Not that it stopped her.

As dozens of robots fired their Zinothium lasers, Jinx danced between them in her own style. As she spun and twirled, robots struck themselves and missed targets altogether. Jumping in the air, Jinx began to twirl around madly. As she did so, her body began to glow with pink energy. The energy rained down among the robots, striking their vital packs. The Zinothium spilled out, hardening and zapping a nearby street lamp.

The huge fight that was just unfolding took place right in the middle of Cactus City itself. Four streets converged her, causing this to be a very dangerous place to fight. Cars had long been abandoned minutes ago, once the drivers ran out, fleeing for their lives. So, now there were dozens of cars laying n the street, abandoned in fear. Street lamps and buildings riddled the center.

Perfect fight scene, huh?

"Hurgh!" mammoth grunted as he picked up a nearby robot and chucked it into some others. The group fell down and crashed, creating a huge Zinothium explosion. The yellow giant lumbered over to a nearby car angrily, picking it up as if it were cardboard.

"Yo, Gizmo!" Mammoth cried in rage. "Catch!" Spinning the car like a discus, he threw it at the bald midget, who cried out in fear. At the last minute, Gizmo's spider legs ripped the car apart, saving the mechanic villain from an untimely death.

"Don't think you're out of the fire just yet!" Red X cried, destroying a nearby robot. Turning invisible, X threw a large amount of X's at the nearby robots furiously. Many simply exploded, while others were trapped under giant red bands. Several more were simply ripped through by razor sharp blades.

X ran at Gizmo, still invisible. The trained mercenary stared straight ahead, while gizmo scanned the area. His goggles should be able to pick him up, even if he was invisible. At the last moment, Gizmo spotted Red X. Just as the rogue hero was punching him in the face.

Gizmo cried out and fell backward, a large bump on his now red face. Screaming in rage, the midget fired a series of missiles, all of which hit their targets. Red X was hit several times, and fell back. The wiped the blood off his mouth. His gold tooth was killing him. And his scar too.

Just as the missiles were about to hit Jinx, Mammoth leaped in front of her. Holding up a huge car, the missiles struck the automobile. Mammoth was using it as a shield! The automobile commenced to exploding, but it still protected the two former HIVE students.

"Thanks," Jinx said, breathing heavily. Mammoth just grinned in return.

"No problem," he said, getting back up. His chest was now bleeding, and his lip was swollen. "Friends gotta stick together."

"Right," Jinx said, grinning. It was just like being back in the HIVE. With people watching over each other. Except this time, they were saving the city, not attacking it. They were heroes, not villains.

"Let me return the favor!" Jinx cried, raising her hands up. Her entire body glowed pink as the magical energy flowed through her. Aiming at the oncoming robots, she released it all into the ground beneath them. The ground opened up and swallowed the robots whole, making the sewers below splash loudly.

"Need more robots!" Gizmo cried, sending more and more into the fray. He just ordered a back up team of fifty to come, and they were very close.

"They should arrive any second," Chang said through his communicator. "And Terra will be there as well."

"Great," Gizmo grumbled. Suddenly, the fell back as a pink flash of light struck him in the chest. Jinx had found him. The pink haired girl was standing over top of him, her fist glowing a threatening...pink. The magic flowed around it like electricity.

"To think I ever liked you," Jinx said, disgusted. Just before she was able to finish the job, a great blast of Zinothium struck her, knocking her back. The reinforcements had arrived. The fifty robots had just come onto the scene, defending their master's apprentice.

Gizmo growled as the stood up again. He activated his spider legs again, rising him into the air. Doing so, he reached down with a pair and picked up a huge Van. Raising it into the air, he threw it at Jinx in anger.

Just before the lethal automobile could kill her, Red X appeared out of no where and teleported Jinx out of the way. The van crashed against the pavement, exploding. Gizmo repeated tthis attack many times, grabbing random cars and chucking them into the crowd, trying to strike his former friends.

"Have some fo your own medicine!" he cried, chucking a taxicab at Red X, who was knocked backwards. The genius blasted Jinx with another laser and he approached X. The vigilante was pinned underneath the taxicab, luck to be alive.

"Just where I want you!" Gizmo said, laughing. Red X couldn't reach his teleportation button as he was now. Gizmo readied a deadly blast of electricity. He was going to kill Red X.

"Yo, Gizmo!" Mammoth cried. The small one turned around in frustration, ready to face Mammoth. Instead, he faced a ten-ton school bus, hurtling through the air towards him. Gizmo only had enough time to whimper in fear before the bus struck him head on.

BOOM! (Imagine this in about 30-font and you get the idea!)

The bus struck and knocked the small genius through a nearby building, knocking it over entirely. The bus exploded and caused the entire building to fall in on itself. The building, which was about fifty feet high to begin with, and made of steel, fell down on top of Gizmo, who cried out in fear.

The building collapsed with another huge boom, and dust overtook the entire block. As robots continued to fire, Red X readied one of hs special X-bombs. Throwing it into the air, he grabbed Jinx and teleported. Mammoth ran as fast as could, punching robots as he did.

Just like last time, the robots readied for the explosion. Just like last time, the explosion never came. And just like last time, the robots dropped their defenses to stare at the 'failed' bomb.

It explode seconds later, wiping the entire block clean of robots and cars. The X-bomb extended on the ground, going in four directions, and becoming wider. All within the red markings were vaporized instantly.

Red X landed and let Jinx fall from his shoulders. Mammoth was fine, just bruised. All three of them were badly hurt, but not mortally or wounded in any way. They just had the crap beaten out of them, that was all.

Just as the three began to relax, another explosion could be heard. And seen. A huge red blast of Zinothium shook the block. Everyone looked to where Gizmo had fallen to see a huge red blast erupt into the air, mushroom cloud style. The radioactive element shook the buildings, vaporizing the fallen building.

Red X, Jinx, and Mammoth looked away from the blinding red light. The explosion was so bright, it was as if night had turned to day. The three were finally able to turn to look as the explosion cleared away to reveal a single figure in its midst.

Gizmo.

The young psychopath was still alive! Gizmo walked slowly out of the ruble, stumbling along on his small, weak knees. How he had survived, no one knew. But he sure looked dead. His head was actually cracked open, and bleeding heavily. His suit, what was left of it, was torn and bleeding as well. His chest and most of his charred skin could be seen.

And he was grinning. Somehow, despite all the immense pain he must have been in, Gizmo was _grinning_! As the dust faded away, the three heroes stared at him in wonder. He merely held up his handheld device.

"You think you won!" he cried, laughing like a child. "Think again! I just ordered a massive invasion that'll overrun this entire city in no time flat! Think you pig-sniffers can handle that!"

"Think you can handle this?" came a voice behind him. As the three wounded Reforms looked on, a huge pillar of rock came out of no where and struck the midget. As he fell to the ground, he looked up to see Terra floating over him on top of her boulder.

"Hey, you missed them!" Gizmo said, pointing to the three weakened Reforms.

"Who said I was aiming for them!" Terra said, angry. Her eyes glowed yellow with anger as she raised her hands above her head. A huge stalagmite rose out fot he ground and shot right at Gizmo.

The villain in question merely pushed a button on his control and a force field appeared around him, protecting him from the stalagmite. But ti shorted out quickly. In retaliation, Gizmo once again rose into the air on his metal bat wings.

"Now you're betraying ME?" Gizmo said, disbelievingly. "You really are a traitor aren't you?"

"I don't care what you think!" Terra cried angrily. "You–aren't–my–friend!" And with that, Terra threw herself at the boy, boulder and all. The rock struck him and Terra jumped off, onto another one. "You hear me, Gizmo? One way or another, this ends tonight!"

"Fine then!" Gizmo cried back. Pushing a button on his bloodied control, he set up a barrier around the remaining Reforms. The three jumped in surprise and tried to escape, but they couldn't. They were trapped. And Gizmo and Terra were alone.

"Bring it on!" Terra cried, throwing a barrage of rocks at him. Gizmo's missiles struck all but a few, which he quickly dodged on his bat wings. Gizmo grinned as he pushed yet another button. He has a lot of buttons!

"Nyah Nyah Nyah Nyah Nyah!" Gizmo cried as he activated his hologram projector. Suddenly, there were two dozen Gizmos flaying around, all taunting Terra. They sped around, making her dizzy, and not sure which to hit.

"Betrayer! Traitor!" Gizmo cried, zooming around. "You're filth! You can't even pick a side, you lame-o! You're nothing but a little girl, afraid of doing something wrong!"

"I may be a traitor..." Terra said, crying openly. "But I am not so little anymore!" And with this, Terra smashed her arms to the ground. As yellow energy burst from her body, the ground rose and melted into three great shapes. Three huge creatures, made of pure earth, stood before her.

"Attack!" she cried. At once, the three earthen beasts rushed forward and attacked the Gizmo copies. The creatures smashed the holograms, completely unharmed by the lasers the real Gizmo was firing. Finally, one of them struck its hands into the ground, and they spread through it like putty.

The arms reached under the ground and came up a few yards away, grabbing the real Gizmo. The creatures all locked onto him and made their attacks. The baldy was pummeled by the creatures, through and through. By the time the earthen beasts were through, Gizmo definitely had some broken bones.

"This ends here!" Terra cried, raising her hands into the air. As her body glowed yellow, she spread the power into the Earth around her. At once, a huge hole began to form underneath Gizmo. The bald nerd quickly activated his spider legs to escape the hole.

"That's it!" he asked, laughing madly. His spider legs extended around the ole, supporting him. His body was still directly over the crater. "A stupid hole? You're even weaker than I thought!"

And for the first time in a day and half, Terra smiled. "You really are an idiot, aren't you?" she said, grinning. "That isn't a hole genius!" she said as the ground began to rumble and shake.

"It's a volcano!"

Gizmo's eyes widened in shock. As he looked down, his pupils dilated in fear. The 'hole' he stood over was glowing a deep red and orange. Before he could move out of the way, the volcano activated. The last thin Gizmo did was let out a horrifying scream before the volcano erupted.

As Gizmo's scream rang out through the night, a huge pillar of fire and lave burst fromt the hole, consuming the thirteen-year-old whole. His body couldn't even be seen through the massive eruption of fire and magma.

After a full minute of constant eruption, the volcano turned off. Terra closed the hole as Gizmo's spider legs fell to the ground. Their master was gone, vaporized completely. There was nothing holding them together.

Terra sighed as she landed on the ground. Her energy was gone, all of it. She began to breath and pant deeply as Gizmo's barrier dissipated. Red X ran over to her as Mammoth helped Jinx stand.

"Terra!" he cried, wrapping his arm around her to help her stand. "Are you okay?"

Terra looked up at him. This was the first time she had ever actualy seen him without the mask. His face was tanned, and a long scar ran along his face. His forehead was swollen, and much of his black hair had been burnt. His mouth was bleeding, and his gold tooth looked like it was about to fall out.

Amd he couldn't have looked any better to Terra at that moment. He was salvation to her.

"Are you okay?" he repeated, worried.

Terra finally looked up at him and gave him a small smile. Reaching up, she kissed him lightly on the lips.

"I am now."

**A/N: **Ah, so sweet. And what a fight! It took me days to figure out how to kill Gizmo, and I think I did so very well. Man, that was fun!

And don't worry, there will be two chapters after this one. That's right, a total of eleven chapters! You guys owe me for this!

REVIEW! C'mon, you know you want to. . .

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	10. The Beginning of the End

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Teen Titans. If I did, then Red X, Jinx, Mammoth, Gizmo, and Malchior wouldn't have been with the rest of the villains at the end of "Homecoming pt. II". They would have been with the rest of the new teen heroes. And Malchior would be in hell.

**A/N: **You guys are so lucky. I feel like updating AGAIN! Don't ya love me? I just feel motivated ever since I killed off Gizmo. MAN, that was fun! I love killing people off in unsuspecting ways. It's fun. . .

Well, my Evanescence CD broke, so I'm listening to my _Daredevil_ CD now. The only reason I tell you this is that if my writing seems...different...that's why. I mean, I LOVE this Cd...but it isn't the same as the Evanescence one. Wait...why am I telling you this? You don't care!

Also, as I was watching the new upside last night, I realized a few things. One, Mento is incredibly anal. Two, Negative Man is clinically depressed. And three, if I had the power to turn into a giant, like Elasti-Girl, I wouldn't wear a skirt. Just saying. . .

**Chapter Ten: The Beginning of the End**

Red X blushed as Terra kissed him, but didn't let it ruin the moment. After she said she was okay, he leaned in as well. The two met together in a passionate kiss. Jinx and Mammoth turned away out of respect for the couple. After an incredibly long amount of time, the two broke apart.

"Wow," Terra said, blushing as she pulled back slightly. "That was my first real kiss..."

"Glad you liked it," X said, smiling visibly for the first time. "But are you sure you are okay? You look wiped."

"I'm fine," Terra said, stying in his arms. "Just tired, I guess. Opening a volcano can do that."

"Yeah, you...uh, really roasted him," Red X pointed out. Not one centimeter of Gizmo's body remained, not a single piece of ash.

"I was angry!" Terra said in defense. "Besides, I thought it was a very...fitting end."

"I still kinda wished I'd killed him with the bus," Mammoth admitted. "You know how fun it is to throw a bus at someone? It completely ruins it when they live, though."

"I think we should go over our morals lessons when we get back to the base," Red X said, staring At Mammoth, who was know smiling nervously.

"Uh, about the base," Terra said, looking down. "I kinda...destroyed it...by accident. I didn't mean to, though, I swear!"

"It's okay," Jinx said, walking up to Terra. She placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's good to have you back."

"It's good to _be_ back," Terra said, smiling at them. Suddenly, all four of the Reforms stopped as they heard an explosion nearby. Looking towards the spot where Gizmo had been fried, they saw another army of robots approaching. The group all aimed their weapons as they approached the Reforms.

"Gizmo..." Mammoth growled. "If that twerp wasn't already dead..."

"Looks like we still have a job to do," Red X said, swinging down onto the ground.

"The hell we do!" Terra said, mad at the robots already. "I am so entirely sick of this!" Her eyes glowing yellow, Terra raised her arms into the air. As she did so, the entire street seemed to crumble away, swallowing the oncoming robots. As she let out a cry, a huge wall of rock appeared, climbing fifty feet into the air.

Swinging her arms again, Terra threw the wall towards the oncoming army. The wall fell flat on top of them, flattening the lot. There wasn't a single robot remaining.

"Whoa..." Mammoth said, his eyes wide. Jinx's mouth was open, and Red X was staring, transfixed by the destruction of the robots.

"And you said you couldn't control your powers..." Red X mumbled, turning to face her. The blonde girl blushed.

"Uh, sorry?" she said. "I'm just sick of these things."

"Tell me about it," Red X said. "I want to take down Chang in the worst way."

"Well, you're gonna get your chance, bad boy!" came a voice towards Terra. Looking down, the blonde girl found her communicator to Chang had been activated. Chang was on speakerphone, talking so all the Reforms could hear him.

"Chang!" Red X said. "Come out and face us, you coward!"

"No, I don't think I will," Chang said teasingly. His red tinted goggles seemed to glow with excitement. A huge smile consumed his face. "My plan is ready, bad boy! And there is nothing you can do to stop me! Even with Gizmo dead, my plan will continue without complication."

"Well, what do you expect us to do? Just sit around and wait?" Red X asked. "I don't think so! I'll find you, wherever you are, and I will take you down."

"Oh, so frightening!" Chang said, acted scared. "But your threats don't work on me, bad boy! I know your weakness."

"And what is that?" Jinx asked, staring the Asian professor.

"Simple," Chang said, holding up a small control. "Compassion." And with a flicker of his wrist, Chang pushed the control down. Immediately, a huge explosion could be heard echoing through the night. The four looked over to see an entire city block had been leveled, destroyed compltely.

"Chang, you monster!" Red X said, diving fo the communicator. "Do you know how many innocent people you just murdered!"

"Honestly, no," Chang said seriously. "But I do hope it was a lot." And with that, Chang pushed another button on the control. A timer appeared, with numbers counting down. "So you see that, heroes? You have sixty minutes to find my next bomb and disable it. Or...KABLAM!"

Chang cackled evilly as the four heroes' eyes widened. "Oh, so fitting," he said, wiping away a tear. "And Terra, I am most disappointed in you. As am I with you Red X. I thought you two would be better servants. But alas, it all ends here. It seems you have a...bomb to catch! Bwahahahahaha!"

And with that, the scientist hung up. The four looked at each other coldly.

"Damn it all!" Red X cursed in Spanish. The other three didn't know what he said. "He's right, we have to save the city. We have to forget about him for now."

"No, we don't!" Jinx said, walking up to her leader. "I may not know much, but I did used to be a leader. And thus, I know what we have to do." Jinx stared at them as they all looked up at her. "Mammoth and I can find the bomb. We learned all about tracking weapons in the HIVE. While we do that, you two can go after Chang. It's the only way."

"That's...perfect," Red X said, looking at her. Looking back down, he lifted up his mask. With a hard look on his face, he pulled the mask up and over his head. When they next saw him, he was completely masked. "Alright, let's do this! You all know your missions! Reforms...GO!"

And with that, they went. Jinx and Mammoth ran off towards downtown. Red X turned to Terra. "Do you know where Chang's base is?"

"Of course," Terra said, raising a boulder from the ground. Both of them jumped on and disappeared into the night, riding the boulder. Terra did her best to keep steady so Red X wouldn't fall off. He just wrapped his arm around her.

"Can I ask you something?" Terra said, turning to X. Her goggles were on, but her eyes could still be seen, and they were worried.

"Of course."

"What did Chang mean when he said he wished you had been a better servant?" Terra asked as she zoomed through the city. "I mean, I understand why he said it to me, but not to you. Why?"

Red X looked away at first. Clenching his fist, he took a deep breath. "Terra, did I ever tell you why I stole this suit in the first place?"

"No..."

"It was because Chang ordered me to," Red X said, angry. "What I never told anyone...was that I used to work for Chang. As his apprentice."

"X..." Terra said, taken back. She had never expected this, especially from him. "Why?"

"He promised me a family," Red X said, turning away. "After my family was murdered right here in Cactus City, Chang took me in. He gave me food and shelter. I stole for him, and he let me stay with him. I became his apprentice.

"Until a few months ago, at least," Red X said. "He ordered me to use the suit, and so I did. Using the suit, I became invincible, stronger than I had ever been before. Everything was going according to plan until the Teen Titans showed up. They hunted me down, and fought with me. Eventually, they followed me to the final Zinothium storage bank. Chang sent robots to take care of them, but they missed one. Robin

"I ended up fighting Robin in the storage room, and we both lost. Chang betrayed me. He ordered his robots to attack both me and Robin. I fell unconscious. And well, the rest is history. I escaped the bank and followed Robin. I saved the Titans and defeated Chang with Robin's help. And I've hated that man ever since."

"X..." Terra said, taken back again. "So, he was like a father to you."

"_Was_," Red X said. "But he never truly looked after me, or took care of me. He only kept me around so I could steal the Zinothium. And then, I was useless to him. So, he turned on me."

"Wow, and I thought I had it rough," Terra said. Suddenly,s he hugged Red X, right on the boulder. "I'm so sorry I did that to you yesterday. You know I never meant to, right? I love you..."

"I know," Red X said, lifting his mask to reveal his lower face. He gently kissed her on the forehead. "And I love you, too. And I always will."

"I know..." Terra said, hugging him tighter. And I'm so sorry about what happened to you. Now I know why you must hate Chang so much..."

"Yes," Red X said.

"Well, don't worry!" Terra said, confident again. "We should be at the base soon. I just hope Jinx and Mammoth are alright."

"If I know them, then they'll be fine," Red X responded, pulling his mask back down. "I just hope we can defeat Chang in time."

"I'm sure we can," Terra said, smiling. "Here we are, now!"

Looking up, both heroes stared at the building before them. Actually, it wasn't really a 'building.' Chang's base was actually a plateau on the outskirts of the city. The great plateau was a brilliant purple in color, and rose into the air a good hundred feet. It was about thirty feet across, and circular. A huge steel dome was located on the top.

"What is with that guy and domes?" Red X thought out loud. Terra laughed. Chang always had a dome!

"What do you say we go in and hand him his butt?" Terra said mischievously.

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Red X said, smiling under his mask. The boulder picked up speed and throttled toward Chang's Plateau at breakneck speed.

"The entrance is through here!" Terra cried, zooming around to the back of the plateau. There was a small, metal hatch on the back, like a closed door. Terra quickly used her powers to run a crack around the door, breaking it of completely. "Permission granted!"

"Let's do this! Red X said as they zoomed into the base. S they entered, robots appeared from all over the place. The inside was made out of solid steel, with the rock layering outside. As the robots surrounded them, Red X pulled out some X-blades.

Throwing the weapons, he succeeded in slicing several robots apart. He continued to do this as Terra guided the boulder through the base at supersonic. Finally, Red X pushed the button on his belt that made him invisible. Making darn good sure he was holding onto Terra, the two became completely invisible, along with the rest of the boulder.

Eventually, Terra guided them into the main room. As they entered, the door slammed shut behind them sealing off the robots. Red X and Terra jumped off from the boulder and onto the steel ground.

They were in the dome on top of the tall plateau. They were currently a hundred feet above the ground, on a circular floor. The floor circled around a huge hole in the center. A huge machine sat on the other side of the room, leading up to a huge control station.

Red X slowly approached the pit in the center of the room. Looking down, his eyes widened when he saw what was at the bottom of the pit. Zinothium! There was a huge amount of unstable Zinothium ore laying at the bottom of the pit. The red energy could be seen from where they stood, casting light into the otherwise dark room.

"You like it?" came a voice from the command station. The two looked up to see Chang had appeared on a floating chair hovering above them. The lumbering robot known as Automatron floated by his side, hie Jetpack in hover mode.

"IT is hard to get so much Zinothium, much less keep it going," Chang said, his hands pressed together. "The important thing is keeping it hot. Very hot! As long as it exceeds 200 degrees Celsius, you can sustain it, keep it alive. And it can power your base for a good, long time."

"Chang!" Red X cried. "I've come fro my revenge. Terra and I are going to tear you limb from limb!"

"Oh, are you now?" Chang said, jumping from his chair. He landed twenty feet from them and grinned. "How very...noble! But I'm afraid your little plan won't work."

"Oh, yeah? And why not?" Terra asked, angry. Her eyes glowed a dangerous yellow.

"I truly thought you would know, Terra," Chang said, smiling. "After all, you freed him!"

Terra blinked. Freed him? Freed who? Then it hit her. Automatron. . . "Waitaminute...no!"

"Automatron!" Chang commanded. "Now!"

Speaking these words, the mad scientist began to cackle madly. Automatron's single red eyes began to glow as its program was initiated. The robot landed right next to Chang and began to transform. Its head disconnected, falling to its back.

As Chang approached the robot, there was a huge flash of energy. Terra and Red X both looked away, blinded by the flash of light. When they turned back, they were actually frightened. Frightened by Chang.

The mad scientist had become one with the robot. Chang and Automatron were one. Chang's body stood, enclosed by a great body of steel.

The monstrosity that stood before them stood a good fifteen feet tall. Two steel legs extended down from a huge, metallic torso. Two large arms came out of the torso, with two large, clenched metal fists. Chang's body was enclosed inside the torso of the robot. His head poked up out of the torso, proportionately smaller than the rest of the body.

Chang grinned as the two Reforms stared at his robotic body. "Now you see why you cannot simply 'take me down,'" Chang said, laughing.

"BRING IT ON!"

**A/N: **Oh yeah, baby! Chang's finally worthy of the title 'Super-Villain'! I love his new look, don't you? I figure the dude needs some help in the fighting department. I think a fifteen foot tall robotic body should suffice, don't you?

Next time, the final chapter! Will Jinx and Mammoth stop the bomb? Will Red X and Terra survive their encounter? Will Chang succeed? Find out, on the next and last chapter of "Titans South: The Reforms!"

Review!


	11. Redemption

**Disclaimer: **You know, I actually don't have to write this. The fact that I'm submitting this to Fanfiction shows that I won nothing. That, and the fact that protects us from lawsuits. Kewl...

**A/N: **Time to finish this one on up! I now have three series still in process, and its about to become two. Because this one's ending! Because of this, I really want to thank everyone that reviewed in this story! Thanks to you all for making this story so popular!

I would really like to thank all of you, but I'm afraid I've forgotten most of your names. I SUCK at names, so I'd probably screw 'em up anyway. You guys know who you are! However, there are a few people I WOULD like to thank personally.

First of all, my two biggest fans, Fenrir Hellfire and Krazy Kor! These two have read and reviewed every chapter of every story I've ever submitted! You guys rock!

Next, I want to Fargol, who inspired me to actually extend this story. If it wasn't for her, the story would have only had eight chapters. Now it has eleven! Big hand for Fargol, everyone!

I also want to thank a reviewer named Chaingun. Chaingun insulted me and my story in every one of his/her reviews. But it only inspired me to write better! Apparently, constructive criticism works. Huh. Who woulda thunk it!

READ NOW!

**Chapter the Last (11): REDEMPTION**

As Mammoth punched another robot in the face, he could hear Jinx groan behind him. Smashing two together ferociously, Mammoth turned to face her.

Jinx was leaning over a huge control panel in an underground vault. The control panel was connected to a large red and white bomb that stood ten feet in both directions. The keys beeped and flashed as Jinx typed in what she hoped was the override code.

The two were about fifty feet beneath the surface, in a huge bomb vault. Chang had built the large vault especially for the bomb, so it could blow up the city. It was rather easy to find, as he had said he would blow up the center of the city.

However, when the two Reforms had arrived, they had found another group of robots waiting to fight. Chang was getting out of hand here! As Jinx had run over to the bomb to disarm it, Mammoth had plowed headfirst into the sea of enemies.

It was a huge group of fifty white and red robots against a pair of injured teenage super-heroes. You to feel sorry for them. For the robots, that is.

"HEAH!" Mammoth cried, picking up a robot. He grabbed its Zintohium weapon and snapped it in half. He threw the robot against a group approaching. HE threw the destroyed weapon, and it exploded upon contact with the rest.

"How much time we got?" Mammoth asked, tuning to Jinx

"About twenty minutes!" Jinx cried impatiently. She was sweating now, hot and nervous. If she got this wrong, the whole city would be destroyed. If she got it right, they still had fifty robots to fight.

Not good odds, really.

"I can't keep this up!" Mammoth cried, throwing another robot against the cave wall. It was impaled upon a stalagmite and exploded. "Ouch..."

"Shouldn't take much longer," Jinx said, rushing now. Her fingers flowed over the control panel, dashing to and fro. If she made even one mistake, it was over.

"Well you don't got much longer!" Mammoth said.

"I know!" Jinx cried, typing even faster. "God," she muttered, wiping sweat off her brow. "I could really use Cyborg's help right about now..."

"HEY!" Mammoth cried. "Why _can't_ we get Cyborg's help? He's a Titan, like us, right? Just call him on the communicator!"

Jinx's eyes widened. "You're right..." she muttered, looking down. Drawing her communicator, she quickly contacted what she hoped was Cyborg's codeword. "C'mon, c'mon..." she muttered. "Pick up! I know you're there! The things built into your arm!"

"Who's calling me at one in the morning!" came Cyborg's voice over the communicator. You have to remember, New Mexico is in a different time-zone, so it was an hour earlier over in California.

"I am!" Jinx cried.

"Jinx!" Cyborg said, now at full attention. "What's going on? You don't look good!"

"I'm not good, but this isn't about me!" Jinx cried. "Chang's over here in Cactus City, and he's set a bomb. Terra and Red X are fighting him as we speak, but we have to stop the bomb. But I don't know how! We need your help!"

"Got it!" Cyborg said. "What kind of bomb is it?"

"C5-43F," Jinx said, identifying the number I just made up in my head.

"C5 series are tough..." Cyborg muttered. His electronic brain whirred with calculations. "Okay, I think I got it! Her's what you do..."

As Cyborg explained the instructions to Jinx, Mammoth continued to fight back robot after robot. He grunted. "Man," he said, panting. "Wherever Terra and X are, it can't be as bad as this!"

:WHERE TERRA AND X ARE:

"Shit..." Red X muttered, staring up at the monstrosity before him. The robot that Chang had become rose up ten feet tall, possibly taller. His arms and legs were made of unbreakable metal, and were strong enough to lift several busses. His body glowed blue with electricity.

Terra visibly shuddered next to him. She had been expecting a big fight, but a giant robot? This was too much. Chang actually looked threatening for once. She was actually nervous.

"Think you two can handle a total transformation?" Chang cackled madly. "Let me answer the for you...NO!" With that, the evil genius maneuvered his new metal body to run forward. His feet made loud stomping noises with each and every huge step. He was upon the two in seconds.

"DESTROY!" he cried, smashing his hands into the ground. He hit the two and knocked them back. "Did you really think you could just come in and take me? I am invincible! I am ingenious! I am Chang!"

"You are obnoxious, that's what!" Terra cried, holding out her arms. Her eyes glowed yellow with power. "Time to get down and dirty!"

Immediately, the steel around them shuddered and broke as stalagmites of rock cracked through. Spinning her arms in a forward fashion, the stalagmites shot out of the ground and hit the scientist. Chang meely raised his great, robotic arm and the stalagmites crashed against them.

"Silly girl," Chang said, laughing. He turned his arm so it was facing her. It immediately transformed into a huge laser weapon. The inside glowed red with Zinothium. "Say good-bye now, pretty girl!"

With that, Chang fired his deadly weapon. The red beam of energy burst from the cannon, straight towards Terra. At the last moment, Red X jumped in front of the cannon and grabbed Terra, activated his teleportation.

The two disappeared as the red laser destroyed the floor they were standing on. A huge, smoking crater took its place.

"You can't hide forever!" Chang cried, firing his laser at them again. In panic, Red X threw Tera in the opposite direction and ran from the laser. Chang followed the red hero as he ran across the floor, his laser following right behind him.

AS the laser threatened to hit him, Red X pushed yet another button on his suit. As he did so, his entire body seemed to glow with red energy. Running across the floor from the approaching laser, Red X suddenly jumped on the wall and ran.

He was running on the wall! The ex-thief known as Red X was running completely horizontal, at a ninety degree angel with the wall.

"What is that!" Chang cried, stopping his laser. "That is impossible! You could not do that before!"

"I upgraded!" Red X cried, jumping from the wall. "I call it the Matrix-Bender! What's impossible for you...is possible for me!" Saying this, Red X jumped again in midair. Now, for those of you that don't know, you can't jump in midair. You can't do a 'double-jump.' It's physically impossible.

And that's exactly why Red X was able to do it!

Finishing his impossible jump, Red X landed right on top of Chang. Staring the villain in the face, he drew his X-blades and threw them on the robot. As Chang cried out in pain, Red X extended the X's on his hands, so he now had two, huge X's on the back of his palms.

"HYAH!" Red X cried, slashing diagonally. Chang's huge robot arm deflected the blow as the aerial X-blades blasted into him.

Red X continued to hack and slash at the giant robot, but to no avail. Chang's metal armor was indestructible. He couldn't be stopped.

"You cannot defeat me!" Chang roared, firing a pair of missiles at the young man. They struck right on, exploding upon contact. "No one can!"

"Maybe no one," Terra said, eyes flashing. "But what about some_thing_?" Saying this, the girl thrust her arms downward, yellow energy from them. As her hands made contact with the earth, two large Earth creatures rose up to fight.

"Destroy him!" Terra cried, pointing to Chang. As the scientist's eyes widened in horror, the Earth creatures roared and ran at him. As they approached, one threw itself into the ground below, turning to mud. The other continued on its way.

"You'll never take me alive!" Chang cried, punching the oncoming monster. It wasn't stopped however, and grabbed onto the mad scientist, still rushing forward. The monster shoved the robotic villain against the wall, and a huge crashing sound was made.

"Eat laser, bad boy!" Chang cried, activated his Zinothium cannon. The arm fired and vaporized the monster completely. However, he had forgotten about the second one. The monster in question then rose from the ground, grabbing Chang from behind.

"Now!" Terra cried, lifting a huge stalagmite into the air. The stalagmite flew thru the air, aiming straight for Chang. It struck its mark, slicing open the great robot's chest. Chang cried out in pain.

As blue electricity shot out in every direction, Chang fell to one knee. He grabbed at the hole in his chest, from which electricity shot out. His entire body was covered in the electric storm.

"You fools!" he cried, jumping back up. Roaring, he cackled into the atmosphere. "You will never win!" he cried, closing his fist. As he did so, a storm of electricity shot out, heading straight for Terra.

As Terra cried out, Red X ran in front of her, with no time to lose. The electricity struck Red X in the chest, and he keeled over, in pain. He screamed out loud as the blue sparks ran up and down his body, frying him. "Terra!"

"Red X, NO!" Terra cried, kneeling by her love. The electric beam was still coming, shocking him. She knew that if she touched it, she could get electrocuted as well. She had to do something, and fast.

"YEAH!" Terra cried, lifting her hands up. As she did so, a great wall of earth rose up and separated Chang from the two Reforms. The beam was cut, and the pain stopped for Red X.

"X, please be alive," Terra said, tears in her eyes. She knelt down and shoved him, trying to wake him. He slowly opened his masked eyes, and looked into her own.

"Sorry 'bout that..." he muttered, sitting up. He lifted up his mask slightly as he coughed out blood. "Aagh...feel like crap..."

"Are you okay?" Terra asked, holding onto him.

"To be honest...no," Red X said, coughing up more blood. "But this has to end. No matter what happens to me...Chang will go down, here and now."

"Such pretty words!" Chang cried as his robotic armor finally broke through the wall Terra had created. Hie metal armor was badly damaged from the two's attacks, and his bodys till flowed with electricity. His face was beaten, and bleeding. "And good thing, too."

"For they will be your last!"

:BACK TO THE BOMB:

"That should be it!" Jinx cried, typing in the last few commands. She turned to Cyborg. "What now?"

"You have to shut it down manually," Cyborg said, reading his own electronic instruction. "There should be a switch on the other side. Turn it off, and you shut it all off."

"Right," Jinx said. She turned to go hit the switch, and then turned back. "And Cyborg?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you," Jinx said, flipping the switch that turned the bomb off. It immediately stopped flashing and beeping, and shut down completely.

"Love ya too," Cyborg said solemnly. "But I think you have a job to do?"

"That we do!" Mammoth cried, looking over the robots. There were still quite a lot of them, and all were armed to the teeth.

"Right!" Jinx said. "Talk to ya tomorrow, after we've saved the city!"

"It's a date!" Cyborg said, switching off the communicator.

"Right then," Mammoth said, looking over the robots. He turned to Jinx. "Shall we?"

She grinned as her hands glowed purple and pink. "Let's!"

:BACK AT THE SCENE YOU ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT:

"They were no one's last words but your own," Red X growled, standing up. He was greatly injured, and still bleeding. But he was more than good enough to take down Chang. Once and for all.

"I despise you," X continued, walking towards the genius slowly. "The things you have done could make people sick. You sell drugs to villains! You create weapons of mass destruction! You experiment on children! CHILDREN!"

"Do you know what an evil man you have become?" Red X asked, his eyes narrowing. "You are not even worthy of the title 'man' anymore. That mush is obvious. You are nothing but an empty shell of a man. You have to use others to do your dirty work. You rely on your own inventions to lead your life. You are nothing!"

"I am still enough to destroy you, traitor!" Chang cried, rushing the hero. But Red X wasn't finished yet.

"Traitor? Traitor!" he cried, jumping up and over the metallic arm. He jumped again as Chang attempted to punch him. "You dare call me the traitor? You are the traitor! A traitor to your family, your country, your people! You make me sick!"

Saying this, Red X switched to invisible. Drawing more and more X-blades, he activated the targeting in his mask. As his sight went red, he found all the weak points in Chang's armor. And he slashed and destroyed each and every one.

"YEAAGGH!" Chang cried as his armor was ripped apart piece by piece by the invisible hero. Everywhere he struck, a part fell off, or was rendered useless. Eventually, Chang's entire body was redused to a metal skeleton, and was crackling with electricity like crazy.

"No! NOOO!" Chang cried, wobbly unsteadily. "It does not end like this!" With that, Red X appeared one last time in front of him, completely visible.

"Wrong," he said, his eyes staring into Chang's. "It ends here, and now!" With this, Red X planted one last X-bomb on Chang's chest. As he ran off, the grabbed Terra and a huge rock shield rose over them both.

Chang only had enough time to scream as the bomb went off on his armor's chest. A huge red explosion filled the room, and Chang cried out in pain. A blinding red light flashed thru the room.

Eventually, Terra dropped her shield. The two looked up, to see what had happened. There was smoke everywhere, and nothing could be seen.

"What happened?" Terra asked. She looked over at X. "IS he dead?"

Terra's question was immediately answered as huge blast of red energy exploded frm the smoke. The red beam struck Red X, and knocked him over to the Zinothium pit. Only a simple railing stopped him from falling.

"Children!" Chang cried, jumping from the smoke. He had been holding the cannon in his arms, and had struck Red X with it. He leaped on Red X and grabbed the young man by the throat. He lifted the hero into the air, strangling him.

"I will not allow children to fight me!" Chang cried, his teeth and eyes glowing with red fury. "DO YOU HEAR ME? YOU ARE INFERIOR!"

"Red X!" Terra cried. Finally, Red X spoke thru the strangling.

"Terra..." he choked out. "Shoot us down...the pit..."

"What!" she cried, taken aback. "But I'll hit you, too!"

"That is the way...it has to be..." Red X said, before Chang began strangling him again.

"Yes, child," Chang said, turning to the young girl and grinning. "What choice will you make? Will you let me get away? Or will you kill me...and your boyfriend too?" He turned to Red X in rage. "You do not know the girl. She is pathetic. She is weak. She will make the wrong decision, and I will get away. That is what heroes do."

"You...forget one thing..." Red X choked out.

"And what is that?"

"We're...not heroes!" Red X cried. Chang's eyes widened in fear as he turned to face Terra.

"You should've listened to him!" Terra cried, lifting up a HUGE boulder. "We're the Reforms!" And she shot the boulder at them, full speed.

Chang's eyes widened as he was struck by the boulder. He let go off Red X as he felt his body tumble over the edge. He and Red X fell down the long pit, towards the 200 degree Celsius pit of radioactive Zinothium. If they hit it, they died.

Halfway down, Red X came to his senses. Drawing an X-blae, he stuck the weapon in the wall, cutting through the metal. He eventually slowed his descent, and then stopped altogether. He lay there, hanging on the edge.

"No!" Chang cried, reaching out. He grabbed onto the X-blade as well, holding it firmly. He let out a sigh of relief as he hung next to Red X. They were both hanging onto the one weapon, the ends sticking out.

"Now what you gonna do?" Chang said in his most evil voice. HE laughed viciously. "You remove the weapon, you die too. If you want out, I have to go with you!"

As Chang laughed evilly, Red X glared at him. "You really are a fool, Chang," he said, staring at the old man. "You always forget the one, most important thing about your enemy when you need to know it. When you kidnaped the Titans, you forgot that Robin would stop at nothing to save them. When you forced Gizmo and Terra to work for you, you forgot that Terra always comes over to the right side, whether late or not. And now, you are forgetting the most important thing about me."

"And what is that?" Chang asked in anger.

Red X smiled behind his mask as he cut the weapon out of the wall. As he and Chang free fell down the long pit, he cried out "I CAN TELEPORT!"

Pushing the button on his suit, Red X gave Chang one last, insulting salute before disappearing in thin air. The hero was gone. As this processed in Chang's brain, he turned to look down. The fiery red element was fast approaching him.

Chang had just enough time for his eyes to widen in fear before he hit the Zinothium. His body was instantly vaporized as the radiocative element tore through him.

And so ended the life of Professor Michael Chang.

Red X appeared in a haze of red energy at the top of the pit. He threw off his mask, panting for breath. Terra ran over to him, and threw her arms around him.

"X!" she cried, hugging him tight. "I'm so sorry! I thought I had lost you..."

"It's okay," X said, hugging her back. "I'm fine, I planned the whole thing out. You did the right thing." He sighed. "And actually...could you call me Sergio?"

Terra grinned. "Of course," she said, closing her eyes as their lips met. They kissed for the first passionate time they could remember. They felt as one, no longer halves. Together, they were invincible. They finally broke apart, both smiling happily.

"Well, we saved the day," Red X said. "I think we can finally call ourselves Titans now. We are no longer Reforms."

"You can say that again," Terra said. She looked down as her communicator beeped. She checked it. "Jinx said the bomb was disabled. They're waiting for us to pick a new base."

"Good, then they can come to us," Red X said, standing up.

"Why?"

"You don't think Chang has a good base?" Red X said, smiling. "I think it'd be fine if we took it off his hands."

Terra grinned. "All right!" she said, running to the door. "I'm gonna go meet them! You coming?"

"Actually," Red X said, looking over the pit. "There's something I have to do first., if you don't mind."

"Of course," Terra said. Suddenly, she turned back before leaving. "Sergio...I like that name. A lot." And with that, the blonde geomancer ran off, ready to meet her friends.

Red X smiled as he watched her go. He turned back to the pit, and held up his mask. He took one last look at it. The skull pattern. The red X over the eye that seemed to match his so perfectly. He let it go.

The mask fell and tumbled over, down into the pit. It would be vaporized and disintegrated. It would be seen no more. Red X made a solemn prayer as the mask was destroyed. He gave a slight smile.

"If I wanted you to know who I was, would I be wearing a mask?" he repeated to himself, grinning. "I do want you to know who I am. I am Sergio Xavier."

"I need no mask."

**A/N: **W00t! Longest...chapter...ever! Didja love the bomb? Didje love the fight? Didja love the romance? Didja love the ending? Let me know people!

Personally, I love this ending. The Reforms are now truly Titans. Terra and Red X are together. Red X is over his identity crisis. And Professor Michael Chang is dead. Just in case you want to know, I got that name from the show. Michael Chang is one of the producers on the show, and Prof. Chang was named after him. Much like how Soto was named after producer Alex Soto. Betcha didn't know that?

Well, it's been long and hard. But its been fun, real fun! Now, make an author happy and review!

"_I guess...in the end, there are no endings. Only new beginnings." —Raven, "The End Part III"_

How right she was.


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